What is Skills@Library and why do you need it?
How you can take learning beyond lectures and turn seminars into success!
The Library isn't just textbooks and study spaces. We're also here to help you boost your academic and digital skills – essential for success at university. Skills@Library is an expert and friendly service providing vital resources, including workshops and one-to-one appointments, to students at all levels.
They can help you with a range of skills, from how to reference correctly to using AI without getting in trouble. Keep reading for our recommendations of Skills@Library resources you should try out this semester.
Workshops
The Skills@Library team run workshops throughout the year, covering a vast range of subjects. You can see them all on the Library Calendar along with other library events and sessions, and set categories to get the support you need, whether it’s academic writing, how to do a podcast or using AI tools.
We also send out a monthly newsletter listing some of our recommendations for upcoming sessions.Sign up for the workshops mailing list to get this straight to your inbox.
Attending workshops in-person is a great way to get more in-depth help and meet your peers, but many of our workshops are also available online so you can learn from the comfort of your home!
Skills Space
Head to the Skills Space on the ground floor of Laidlaw Library. You’ll be able to find stacks of learning resources, study space and drop-in sessions throughout the year.
If you'd like to find out more about the Skills@Library service, and how to access support for your academic skills development, the Skills Desk will be open Mondays-Fridays at 10am-1pm to speak to a member of Skills@Library staff.'
Writing Space
The Writing Space is one of our most popular services. Run by specially trained student writing mentors who know exactly what you’re going through, it’s a stress-free, drop-in session of peer-to-peer support to tackle all your writing worries.
The Writing Space can be found in the Skills Space between 1–4pm during teaching weeks.
One-to-one support
Independent learning is a key part of university study, but that doesn’t mean learning alone.
If you can’t find what you need, if you’re struggling to understand feedback, or you just feel a little out of your depth, you can book academic one-to-one sessions for extra guidance.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of academic skills, such as writing, critical thinking, information searching strategies or time management, book an appointment to consult with one of our learning advisors.
Digital capabilities
Digital skills aren’t just important at university; they are also important to employers, so now is the time to make the most of free resources to help you upskill.
Digital learning advisors can help you with any questions about software, digital learning tools or digital study practices, and if needed, arrange a digital skills one-to-one appointment online or in person.
Our digital capabilities webpage has resources covering all kinds of digital skills support. This includes digital skills workshops and the Jisc Discovery Tool, a searchable bank of resources on every digital skill you can think of, from programming to presentations. It also offers a bespoke report of your digital know-how and what skills might need an upgrade. Log in with your university email and password to start exploring this comprehensive toolbox.
Maths and stats support
There may come a time during your studies when you need guidance on how to approach a difficult maths problem, gather and analyse data for dissertation work or need to know how to effectively use software, such as Python or SPSS. This is where our maths and statistics support service is invaluable.
We will have Maths and Statistics drop-in sessions throughout the year in the Skills Space and bookable appointments if you need a bit more help finding the right solution.
This support is invaluable, especially if you weren’t expecting so much statistical work in your course.
Find out more
Find out first-hand what other students who have used and worked with Skills@Library think on the Library Blog. Our student advisors regularly post their insights into how to get the most out of the service, and some of the solutions they discovered throught the library.
You can also follow us on Instagram and sign up for the workshops mailing list to get updates on events, drop-ins and workshops.
