An introduction to Library Services for undergraduate students

The main character, a female cartoon version of a new OU student sits in her kitchen with her laptop looking slightly confused.

New student: Right, so, I need something from the OU Library. I don't know where to start

A talking head appears, Student 1: Don’t worry about it, it’s really, really easy

A second talking head appears, Student 2: It might feel new to you, but honestly you'll get used to it on no time

A third talking head appears, Student 3: You'll be like a kid in a sweet shop after a while

New student: OK - but if it’s online, how do I get a book?

A fourth talking head appears, Student 4: Being online is the best bit

Student 1: Just type into Library Search what you're looking for, click on a resource, and there's your ebook

Student 2: Oh it's more than just books! There's literally a world of information out there. I've used music tracks

A fifth talking head appers, Student 5: I read a newspaper from 1894, I was on my way to work and I found it on my phone

Student 4: I used a video from VE day in one of my assignments. My tutor loved it!

Student 1: I was trying to find an article so I used the list of library resources pulled together by the librarians just for my subject

New student: Wait a minute, why can't I just Google that?

A sixth talking head appears, Student 6: Well you could, but if you used the online library you know what you'r getting's reliable and accurate

Student 5: And a lot of the info's been chosen by librarians or academics, so you're more likely to find something that's perfect for your course

Student 3: Yeah, I used some statistics for a project about diabetes I found on the internet. It turned out to be about 20 years out of date

Student 5: My tutor told me how important it was to know if I could trust the information I was using. So I did one of those online training sessions

New student: It's starting to sound a bit complicated

Student 2: Nooo! I've done a few of those training sessions. Just have a go, they're really worth it

Student 6: Why don't you have a look on the library website?

Student  2: There's some really helpful guides on there

Student 4: I learned to spot the difference between good and bad information

Student 6: I found an activity on using Google more effectively. Saved me a load of time at work

New student: So I ought to do something too then?

Student 1: I would, it's a great way to get started and the librarians are ever so helpful

Student 5: And they know what they're doing!

Student 3: Yeah, just click on one of the sessions or the guides; they are really straight forward and they’re gonna help you to find things much more quickly

Student 1: There you go!

New student: Aww, smashing!

Student 3: And you don't even need to wait for a training session, there's a helpdesk 24/7 so help's available all the time

New student: Thanks very much, honestly you've all been really, really helpful. But umm, you're not really here in my kitchen are you?

Summary: Explore and find out more about your online library at www.open.ac.uk/library