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News and updates

News or updates on Library services and resources

You will find information about updates on the Library, our services and planned downtime for resources that we subscribe to.

Current

Past

  • An Introduction to Litmaps - 4 July. Posted - 18 June 2025.

    • Discover how to supercharge your literature reviews with Litmaps.com! Join the library’s introduction to Litmaps and find out how to create an account, search for literature, visualise research connections by building a Litmap and track the citations.
    • Whether you're doing a literature review or just want a new way to search for articles, Litmaps offers a fresh way to engage with academic literature.
    • Join us for a practical introduction to Litmaps, a dynamic tool designed to help you visualise and explore scholarly literature. This one-hour session will demonstrate how Litmaps can support you in your research by making it easier to map citation networks, identify key papers, and track developments in your field.
    • When: 4 July 14:00 - 15:00. 
    • Where: Online.
    • Sign up for Introduction to Litmaps

  • Introducing Litmaps - 26 June. Posted - 18 June 2025.

    • Discover how to supercharge your literature reviews with Litmaps.com! Join the library’s introduction to Litmaps and find out how to create an account, search for literature, visualise research connections by building a Litmap and track the citations.
    • Whether you're doing a literature review or just want a new way to search for articles, Litmaps offers a fresh way to engage with academic literature.
    • Join us for a practical introduction to Litmaps, a dynamic tool designed to help you visualise and explore scholarly literature. This one-hour session will demonstrate how Litmaps can support you in your research by making it easier to map citation networks, identify key papers, and track developments in your field.
    • When: 26 June 13:00 - 14:00. 
    • Where: Online.
    • Sign up for Introducing Litmaps

  • Open Access Update Training Session for Staff - 17 June. Posted - 04 June 2025.

    • We are pleased to announce an Open Access update training session for staff, scheduled to take place Tuesday, 17 June, from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM on Teams.
    • The session will cover the following topics:
      • Basics of Wellcome/UKRI policy
      • College’s Open Research Policy
      • REF 2029 OA Policy
    • Additionally, there will be a short demo of depositing on BIROn (Birkbeck Institutional Research Online) for beginners.
    • Please note that the session will be recorded and circulated afterwards.
    • Access the event via this link on the day.

  • Saturday Sessions: Boost your library skills - 17 May. Posted - 12 May 2025.

  • Library Catalogue (Enterprise) maintenance scheduled  - 21 May at 9pm. Posted - 12 May 2025.

    • The Library Catalogue will be unavailable on Wednesday 21 May from 9pm to 10pm while scheduled maintenance takes place.
    • We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

  • Library support for researchers (MRes, MPhil, PhD): Adding your thesis to BIROn, an introduction to publishing, and impact - 13 May. Posted - 30 April 2025.

    • Birkbeck Library is a key resource for postgraduate researchers. You are invited to attend this online session on library support for researchers (MRes, MPhil, PhD), which will provide you with valuable information on how to submit your final, post-examination thesis to BIROn, as well as open access options as you move towards potential publication. We will also examine impact metrics for publications. There will be opportunities for questions and discussion.
    • When:  Tuesday 13 May 2025 18:00 to 20:00. Where: Online - please book your place.
    • Aims and objectives
    • This session is aimed at those close to submitting their thesis, and will:
      • Provide information on adding your thesis to Birkbeck Institutional Research Online (BIROn).
      • Outline the College's Open Research Policy, and explore options for how to meet its requirements.
      • Consider approaches to measuring research impact.
      • Introduce options for creating a researcher profile online.
    • The session will be facilitated by: Paul Rigg, Senior Assistant Librarian (Repositories & Digital Media Management)
    • Mapping to the Researcher Development Framework:
    • Domain A: Knowledge and intellectual abilities.
      • A1 - Knowledge Base A2 - Cognitive Abilities.
    • Domain B: Personal effectiveness.
      • B1 – Personal Qualities B2 – Self Management.
    • Domain C: Research governance and organisation.
      • C1 – Professional Conduct.
    • Domain D: Communication, influence and impact.
      • D2 – Communication and Dissemination D3 – Engagement and Impact.

  • Planned Library systems upgrades in April. Posted 04 April 2025.

    • During April there will be two planned library system upgrades:
    • The Library Management System will be upgraded on Monday, 7 April at 8pm.
      • The upgrade will take between 1 and 3 hours.
      • During this period, some library services will be unavailable.
    • The Online Library Catalogue System will be upgraded on Tuesday 29 April at 8pm.
      • The upgrade will take between 6 - 8 hours, running through to approximately 4am on Wednesday 30 April.
      • During this period, the library catalogue service will be unavailable.
    • We apologise for any disruption this may cause and thank you for your understanding.

  • Kortext maintenance on April 24, at 7pm. Posted 23 April 2025.

    • Kortext will be performing an update on the evening of April 24, starting at 7pm.
    • You may not be able to login or use their services at this time. This update is expected to finish on April 24 at 9:30pm.
    • We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

  • Library and User services during the Easter break - Wed 16 April to Tue 22 April. Posted 02 April 2025.

    • The Library will be open during the Easter break – 16 April to 22 April – with some changes to opening times.
    • During this period, you will be able to contact the User Services helpdesk by email, ASK and telephone throughout our opening hours.
    • Library Disability and Dyslexia Service study materials and appointments, and Academic Services Librarians will be unavailable during this time. For Interlibrary Loans check the Birkbeck Interlibrary Loans website, as requests submitted during this period are unlikely to be processed until the service reopens on Wednesday 23rd April 2025.
    • The click-and-post service will be unavailable between 16 – 22 April.
    • If you are planning to visit other libraries during the Easter break, check their opening times and services available well in advance. Many libraries, if open at all, may not be processing new memberships during the break, so please ensure you join in good time beforehand.

  • Birkbeck climate festival 17 - 21 March. Posted 27 February 2025.

  • Articles Plus – launch of our new resource discovery service. Posted - 03 February 2025.

    • We are pleased to announce the launch of a new implementation and user interface for our resource discovery service. We are using EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) to facilitate the discovery of and access to most of our digital resources – ebooks, ejournals, and databases in one search – called Articles Plus.
    • Birkbeck students and staff should no longer need to access and search each of our many databases individually, these will be searched alongside any of our ebooks and ejournals subscriptions when a keyword search is undertaken.