The newly published report on Jimmy Savile

I must be honest with you. I've written two or three posts already about the unfolding Jimmy Savile story and  didn't post any of them. This was because the whole situation has made me so angry I couldn't even pretend to be dispassionate and subjective. I just find the misuse of power to exploit vulnerable people in society the most vile of crimes.

The reason I'm writing this post now is due to the publishing of the NSPCC/Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) report into Savile's crimes called 'Giving Victims a Voice'. A major finding of which is the damning claim that the victims who spoke out at the time were simply not believed. The report makes clear that Savile used his fame to 'coerce or control' his victims, but goes on to suggest that things have improved in the reporting of such incidents. That said, the report, which you can find in full by clicking here, clearly states that there is absolutely no room for complacency.

One more related point.
I've bought many books for the LRC in the last few years on Safeguarding and Child Protection.
However, with the 'E-books on Demand' project currently running, there's nothing to stop you having a look on Dawsonera and seeing what e-books you can add to what we already have.

Are you working on your dissertation?

Do you know you can order journal articles for your dissertation to which the LRC doesn't have full-text access?

Do you want to know how to do it?

Of course you do.
Here goes...

There's two parts to the process; the first bit is downloading the software from the British Library (BL) to your home PC/laptop which you can find here.

The second bit is the online form which is here.

You do need to read the terms and conditions bit too which explains how you can save it. This is important because there are some restrictions as to what you can do with the article.
The other important point is that you can order 5 articles at undergrad level and 15 articles at postgrad level, so read the abstracts carefully before ordering anything. This isn't M&S - if you don't like what you've ordered you can't swap it for another.

If you need any help with this you know where I am.

The library that never sleeps.

The library will be open from now until July. Without shutting.

This is in response to repeated requests from students for longer opening hours, so we've gone the whole hog and decided to never close. Well until July anyway. Then we'll review things again.

So if (and I do use the word 'if' with some trepidation...) you want to come to the LRC and start writing your assignment at 3am you can.
But don't expect me to be in the building to help you. I'll be at home. Sleeping. Or more likely playing Minecraft on Xbox live.
If you want to see who will be in the building look here for some more details of how it'll work.

The serious point is if any of you do start using the library at night time feel free to email me and say why it works for you. We are interested in how and why students will use the extra hours on offer. As I often say, none of you are just students; you have many other roles to juggle alongside the not inconsequential task of striving for a degree. So if these extra hours make it easier for you to fit everything in that's clearly a good thing. But try not to become purely nocturnal as keeping something back for the lectures and seminars isn't a bad plan either...

Important News: E-Books on demand is now live

It is good to be able to tell you about new developments, especially when I know it's going to potentially make a lot of people happy.

Well this is one of those occasions, so forgive me if that sound you can hear in the distance is the library blowing its own trumpet.

We've given you, dear student, a load of book money to use as YOU see fit.

Here's how it works; for a limited period (basically this means until the money runs out...) you'll see e-books on Dawsonera that you can rent, alongside the e-books that we've already bought. The screenshot below shows you how it will look.

The books that have the purple 'Request Rental' tab are the books you can rent for 7 days. The thing is, if 3 people rent the same book it automatically gets bought. Forever. Which is nice. I'm going to be visiting as many lectures as possible to promote this over the next few weeks and show you exactly how to access what's on offer, because I want you to get as much benefit as possible from the service.

That's it really. If you have any questions about E-books on Demand at this stage just ask.

Intoxication programme on radio 4

I've mentioned 'Thinking Allowed' before, the show on Radio 4 about sociology. In part because UoB broadcast the show a couple of years ago.


Well a show first broadcast on Boxing Day (oh the timing...) is an 'Intoxication special' covering binge drinking and illegal drugs. Entertaining is probably the wrong word, but it's a very illuminating and lively show covering all aspects of why and people take drugs.

The show can be heard here and I'd very much welcome your thoughts on the subject. Naturally, all communication would remain confidential.

New printers in the library.

I rarely do general library updates, but this is worth it as a quick advance note.

The library has updated its printers so from Monday you'll notice a few minor changes which will improve things. The new machines are all printers/photocopiers/scanners in one. Which is nice.

The usual help will be available if you have any questions about how they work, but I was given a quick demo this morning and it all looked pretty straightforward.

Radio programme on Evidence Based Practice

Firstly, happy new year. I hope 2013 is kind and gentle and holds the door open for you now and again.

I've a few things to blog about over the next few days, but Ben Goldacre's radio programme about Evidence Based Practice (EBP) and social policy comes first. I've mentioned Goldacre before on here; he's a doctor who writes about the importance of reliable research and good reporting of 'the facts'.

For any of you unsure of what EBP is then this show would be a great introduction. Equally, for those of you that have already studied some EBP then rest assured there's enough detail here to give you some new things to think about.

Anyway, the show is available from here on BBC radio i-player for another 5 days, so don't wait too long to take a listen.