Here we see the glazed smile characteristic of someone listening to one too many textbook chapters in a single sitting.

Everyone learns differently and yet most educational systems are produced for scale, risking a one-size-fits-none approach to learning. Happily, there is much you can do to personalise your world at university.

From visually collaging research to converting the printed word to and mp3 audio file, routine process automation and revision aids, we have everything you could possibly want.

Looking to get your study skills up to speed for university? TLooking to get your study skills up to speed for university? Probably not – the first three months of any course are generally filled with trying to drink or spend away the annual textbook budget in a burst of hedonism after being released from the restrictions of home and college. There are loads of helpful resources to get you started.

The library Postgraduate Study Suite is open again and available to anyone studying at Master’s level and above. The only change from before the pandemic is that we have had to suggest limits to the number of occupants in each room to ensure the ventilation remains sufficient to minimise the risk of Covid-19 transmission.

One of the secrets to a successful life is developing the practice of asking of each thing, “Is this important? What would happen if I did not do it?”. This practice is the single biggest secret to making the best use of your time. It enables you to prioritise your life meaningfully by stopping doing those things that make little or no difference and focusing on those things that will. It declutters life and protects against that ever present threat of becoming overwhelmed.

What’s stopping you from getting started? Do you start your day anxious and struggle to limber up, focus, and get going? Does your workload feel like an unstructured edifice that threatens to collapse and crush you?

It might surprise you to learn that a more chilled, relaxed, happy and in-control you might be a simple habit change away and it all starts with how you start your day and structure your time to stay calm and achieve a productive flow. It’s never too late to start a good habit, so try it today!

The uniformity of instruction you probably received in school concealed the important truth that everyone learns differently and that you need to experiment, try new ways of working, and decide there and then whether they feel good or bad or if you are unsure. There are now many tools that can help you learn in new and creative ways and library staff can provide specific support for anyone who has difficulty engaging with text-based resources to learn more easily.

There are so many so-called special days now in our calendar (from Winnie the Pooh Day to National Answer your Cat’s Question Day – really?), you might be forgiven having missed this one. 11.1 or 11th of January is World …

‘Sketchnote Day’ – did this pass you by? Read more »