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Schools and Colleges: Thoughts from our Ambassadors

The Library welcome visits from Schools and Colleges and can offer a range of opportunities and support for students at all levels. This guide will show you what is available.

Introducing El

I’m currently a second year Psychology student with a love for Social and Behavioural theory. Outside of university I enjoy playing guitar and piano, and going for walks in the Lake District. I love my subject as it blends both literacy and math skills that I find complement my work in the library. My Ambassador role is varied in tasks and responsibilities, from assisting college students with their EPQ projects to creating resources to be used across the library. I find helping college students extremely rewarding, fascinating and I learn so much from them. The variety of topics I have come across when talking to college students is huge – and their drive to create a piece of work fuelled by their passion never fails to inspire me. My personal favourite was a student looking at the effects of music on emotion and cognition – as a psychology student it certainly piqued my interest!

One of my main roles as a Library Schools Ambassador is to guide students in academic searching through Lancaster University Library resources and databases.  I never had access to programmes like this when I was in their shoes, and I would have found building academic searching skills incredibly useful at the college level to prepare me for the transition to university. My work in this role aids me in completing my own academic work, especially when it comes to searching for papers and critical reading. This role has enhanced my university experience hugely and I’ve met so many amazing people and gained lots of skills and experience that will be invaluable for the future.

About Library Schools Engagement Ambassadors

What we love about being a Library Engagement Ambassador!

Hi, we’re Eleanor and Charlotte, third year students who have worked together as Library Engagement Ambassadors since our first year. 

Eleanor:

I’m a third year Psychology student and I’ve worked for the Library as an Engagement Ambassador since January 2023. I’m also a mature student and part of the widening participation community at Lancaster. 

Charlotte:

I’m a third year Medical Student and I’ve also worked for the Library as an Engagement Ambassador since January 2023. In college, I was a young carer and I am now heavily involved in the widening participation medics community. 

What do Library Engagement Ambassadors do?

We work with a wide range of local schools and colleges across the North-West that come into the library to learn practical academic skills. We help out with workshops that focus on using library catalogues to research specific topics, all the way to helping college students with their Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and giving a helping hand when needed when they are researching their project. 

We also have opportunities to get involved in wider library projects such as the social media team and the welcome week team, as well as giving tours around the library for open days! 

Our favourite things about the role

Eleanor: I love helping someone that has made progress from a library session. When I come across a student who is trying to take everything in from the workshop we’re delivering, and then applying it to their own work gives me a great sense of fulfilment in the role. It doesn’t matter if they don’t get it right at first – just seeing someone try their best fills me with a great sense of pride.

Charlotte: I really enjoy helping in the EPQ workshops as I did my EPQ 4 years ago so I can really relate to the students. Additionally, I love speaking to students and answering their questions about higher education as I feel like I’m helping them gain a good insight into potentially going to university. 

Library Ambassador Podcast: Shushing the Shush

Blog posts from our ambassadors

Luke - Library Resources

Over this summer I began one of the more daunting tasks for a history undergraduate – beginning the research for my third-year dissertation. Specifically, I wanted to find primary source material such as letters, memoirs, and documents. These could then be used to answer my research question. Luckily, throughout this summer research project the staff and resources of Lancaster University Library have made this process both simple and rewarding. The Library’s resources have provided me with access to exciting materials that should create a really interesting and unique dissertation.

Having decided at the end of my second year that I wanted to write my dissertation on the role of military translators during the Occupation of Japan, I needed to begin finding relevant material. Firstly, I began browsing the relevant topics in both the Library’s physical and digital collections. This, in itself, is a daunting task as the Library contains over 500,000 physical books and 700,000 digital books. The best way to navigate this is through the Library’s search engine – OneSearch. Through using OneSearch I was able to find my first primary source! A published letter collection from military translators describing their daily challenges and experiences during the Occupation. OneSearch also directed me to relevant academic publications, such as the Journal of Japanese Studies, which provided key academic context to my research. Whilst doing this research in the Library collection I found the Library staff really brilliant. Whether I was looking for a specific item or just general ideas on where to find primary source material they were always really approachable and helpful.

Another useful tool the University Library offers is the Request a Resource Service. It allows students to request the University Library to acquire a particular material, such as a books, for the Library’s collection. I used it to request a memoir of a translator and within three days had a digital copy of the memoir. Library Staff also recommended contacting the Learning Development team in my third year to help me to make a strategy for writing my dissertation.

Following advice from library staff I began researching documents using the Gale Primary Source Database, a resource the library provides which gives students access to digitised archive material from collections across the world. For a humanities student this is definitely one of the most exciting resources the library provides, as it gives students the freedom to explore primary source material on the topics that interest them most. In my case it gave me access to documents in the United States National Archives. In the archives I was able to access original documents from the Occupation period, specifically reports written by the military translators themselves.

Through further research I discovered that undigitised archive material relevant to my dissertation was contained in the University of Colorado Boulder’s Archive. Lancaster University Library’s Special Collections department were fantastic in advising me on how best to contact Colorado Boulder’s archive so that my request for the digitization of material was more likely to succeed. My request was approved and now I have access to personal letters, documents, and photographs that have remained unpublished for nearly 80 years.

What stood out to me throughout this process is the range of support and resources Lancaster University Library provides to its students, to help them complete their research projects. For any student I think it is particularly important to have the freedom to write a dissertation on what interests and fascinates them, as it makes the experience far more rewarding. The advice and access to research materials the Library provided has certainly enabled me to write a dissertation on a topic I am passionate about.

Ash - Searching for Strategies: School Outreach Visits

One of the things the Library Schools Team does is outreach visits, where members of the team visit schools and colleges to deliver workshops relating to research skills. Recently, I accompanied members of our team to provide some of these sessions with a local sixth-form college.

As part of their studies, some sixth-form students had to undertake a module that included research, reading challenging academic texts, and then using these to answer complex questions. These skills were relatively unfamiliar to these students, so we were called in to help.

We began the session by asking students what it was about academic texts that they found difficult. Soon, answers came flooding in – ideas that texts were too long, with too many unfamiliar words or concepts, it was too easy to get distracted, and the whole process just felt too overwhelming. As a student in my final year at university, I found these answers amusing as I had been having a similar conversation in one of my recent seminars - it seems that the same challenges affect people at many levels of academia! What four years of university has taught me, though, is the various strategies that can be used to overcome these challenges, which we were hoping to share with these students.

Our first discussion was on the importance of keywords in the question, and in the titles and keyword sections of academic texts. Students identified the key terms but were aware they were not too confident about what some of them meant. When asked what they thought they could do about tackling this problem, after a little reassurance that their instincts were correct, they correctly suggested googling it! It seems so obvious it is barely worth saying, but it is something people sometimes forget. You don’t always have to start with the challenging text you have been set; first, you can try and find out more about the topic through texts designed to be introductory or easier to understand – as long as they are from reputable sources.

Next, we introduced the students to the structures and purposes of academic texts and how these can help them understand what they are about to read. Understanding the structure can also help you choose which reading strategy you want to use to approach the text, strategies which we also introduced students to. Students were asked to match the reading styles with their definitions. The first time we delivered the activity, I realised that some of the strategies I had used throughout university to prepare for classes and assignments had official names! It is not that important that you remember them; it is just that you remember there are different approaches that you can use. Despite delivering the workshop three times, we always struggled to remember the difference between skimming and scanning! Students were asked to consider which reading strategies might be appropriate for different purposes they had for reading academic texts. A few had to be persuaded that skipping, i.e. not reading, was perhaps not the most suitable for the given text for their assignment!

Throughout the workshop, we wove between introducing and discussing different strategies with students and giving them time to apply these new skills to their given text and specific questions. Therefore, the workshop had multiple aims: to provide specific and tailored support for their upcoming assignment and equip students with more general academic skills to take forward with them. Many students gave us positive feedback at the end of the workshop, saying, ‘I get it now’ and that they felt much more confident about their upcoming assignment. They might not know it yet, but I am sure many of them will also look back on the workshop and realise that these skills were not only valuable for that assignment but for the many more that would come – I know I would have done!

 

Charlotte - A research project in medicine

In my second year of the Medicine degree, we did a month-long research project where we wrote a 3000-word critical inquiry on a topic. We were given a catalogue of 60 possible topics by 50 different convenors, and we selected our top 10; then, we were allocated our topic. I was very fortunate that I was given my top topic of mental health disorders, and I was allowed to pick a particular condition to base my project on. I’ve always had a particular interest in maternal mental health, so I decided to focus my research on puerperal psychosis, otherwise known as postnatal psychosis. Fortunately, my convenor’s wife was a consultant psychiatrist specialising in perinatal (pregnancy and post-partum) psychiatry, so she was a key contact for my project!

With any research project, I started by searching for relevant articles. As a library ambassador, my role has made me more confident in searching for information literature than many of my peers. As Lancaster University Library pays for access to many academic journals, we are very fortunate that the majority of articles and papers we find can be accessed through the university. The best academic medical databases I’ve discovered are Web of Science, PubMed, and Medline. Through working in the library, I’ve seen first-hand, when helping to run EPQ information searching workshops, the importance of using keywords and Boolean commands such as ‘AND’, ‘OR’ and ‘NOT’, to find a high percentage of relevant articles. Consequently, I found many relevant articles about puerperal psychosis and started identifying the most relevant.

My next step was to refine my research question, so with some of my knowledge from reading, and with help from the convenor and his wife, I realised my question had to be quite broad as puerperal psychosis is a very niche area. I ended up settling on the title: An Analysis of puerperal psychosis: Presentation, Aetiology, and Management. Finalising my title allowed me to find some more relevant articles and sort them into categories that either focused on presentation (signs and symptoms), aetiology (cause) or management (treatment).

The Library has a good learning support service, where students can self-refer and book an appointment with a member of staff who can help them with information literature, brainstorming for their essays, structuring their dissertations and referencing. The library also runs a Scientific Writing Centre for students in the Faculty of Health and Medicine. I booked an appointment with a postgraduate student who worked for the Scientific Writing Centre, and they gave me lots of advice on how to structure my research project!

One of the reasons why I wanted this particular research topic is that it came with some additional placement days to help me better understand psychiatry before I do my psychiatry rotations in years 3 and 4. I was able to spend a day shadowing my convenor’s wife in her perinatal psychiatry clinic, and I also spent a day with the drug and alcohol team, and the A&E mental health team; additionally, I spent a day on the psychiatric ward and another day observing the memory loss clinic.

After a few placement days and over 3000 words, I officially finished my research project. Overall, I enjoyed it and I have certainly developed my academic writing skills!

Shannon - Choosing a topic to research

Hi everyone! So, if you read my introductory post you will know that I am a third-year history student writing my dissertation. As of now, I have written up 2 chapters out of 3, and it’s due at the end of March! My dissertation is about how Vietnam veterans reacted to their negative portrayal on the television. If you don’t know much about this, to make it short and sweet, Vietnam veterans were conditioned by a stereotype that categorised them as drug-addicts and ‘baby-killers’. It is a very complicated topic filled with many emotional accounts, but this post is all about how to research!

Naturally, you start with something you are interested in. Then you find something niche about that topic; for example, you could absolutely write a dissertation about Cristiano Ronaldo’s impact on the football world. Here you have found your niche as you are talking about one specific football player and his specific impact on the football game. From this you would gather secondary material (scholarly interpretation and statistics) and use this to elevate your primary material. Your primary material is what really makes or breaks a dissertation – it might be something you collect yourself, such as a survey, or it could be different sources and materials created by witnesses or recorders who experienced the events or conditions being documented.  

For Cristiano Ronaldo, you could create surveys that chart his influence on fans through a Google survey; you could look at his celebrations and how they are copied around the world; you could even explore the number of fan pages he has on Instagram. Research is what you make it, but the number one thing to keep in mind for an EPQ or a dissertation is that you are interested in the topic! Having an interest in your topic makes academic reading much easier and more interesting. As long as you can research it you can choose any topic, and I really hope to see a Ronaldo EPQ now! Bear in mind that this process could span weeks or even months, for me it took 3 months! Happy researching…

Charlotte - A medical student's day on placement 

In the Medicine and Surgery degree at Lancaster University, we start our clinical placements in 2nd year. We rotate around different hospitals between the general medicine and general surgery wards. We’re on placement twice every week or twice every other week, depending on which hospital you’re in. I’m currently in Furness General Hospital (FGH) in Barrow-Upon-Funess every week on the general medicine wards, and so far I’ve really enjoyed it! Here’s an insight into one of my days on placement.

I started off my day by catching the bus just after 7am – this is put on by the Medical School put to help us get to the various hospital placements. Unfortunately for me, FGH is the furthest hospital away, and the placement bus is known as the infamous Barrow bus as a result! The journey takes about 75 - 90 minutes to get there, and we all spent the time on the bus differently. Many people nap, some like to relax and listen to music or talk to their peers, and a few spend the time reading over their notes or doing work.

When we got to the hospital, we signed in and said hello to the clinical skills team. These are a group of specialist doctors and nurses who help teach us whilst we are on placement. They’re all incredibly lovely and supportive and made placement much less scary when we all started! Then, once we had got out our stethoscopes, notepads and pens and put our bags in the lockers in the medical student common room, we were ready to head to our favourite part of the hospital - the canteen!

Our hospital trust is very good to provide all NHS staff and students with free tea, coffee and toast in the morning and a hot meal at lunchtime for a reduced price of £1.50 – so the FGH canteen is very popular among medical students!  After a much-needed cup of tea and slice of toast, it was nearly 9am, and I was ready to head to my first session of the day, which was a case-based discussion. This is small group teaching run by one of the clinical skills doctors, and it’s a place where the doctor can talk us through interesting cases and conditions, and we can also go through some of the cases we’ve seen on the wards. Today, the doctor talked about a patient who fractured their hip and needed a hip replacement. However, they ended up having multiple complications and needed many subsequent operations and spent months in hospitals. He really made us think about surgical complications and the importance of weighing up the benefits vs the risks of treatment. 

After lunch, my clinical partner and I had an appointment with one of the clinical skills teams. These appointments consist of us picking an examination to do on a relevant patient and a member of the clinical skills team watching us and then giving us feedback. I did a cranial nerves examination on a patient who had recently had a stroke and then had a look in her eyes with an ophthalmoscope.  We also took a history from a patient who had been admitted with a low red blood cell count and, as a result, was diagnosed with pernicious anaemia. We spent about 45 minutes with this patient and then went to the library to look at his patient records to understand better what medications he was on. I then went to find one of the FY1 or FY2 doctors on the wards, who are normally less busy at the end of the day, to present the case and discuss possible treatment options.. By the time we had finished, it was 4.45pm and there was just enough time to get my bags, grab a hot chocolate and sign out, before getting on the bus back to Lancaster.

After a little nap on the bus, it was nearly 6.30 pm and I had just got back home. I had a quick dinner and then headed to the library to write up some of my clerkings from the last 2 days. Clerkings involve writing up cases of patients we have taken a history from and done a relevant examination on, we then submit them for feedback from some of the clinical skills doctors. Soon, it was nearly 10pm and I headed back home to finally go to bed after a long but productive day on placement.

 

Edward - Five Non-Academic Things to Do in the Library

As a student at Lancaster, you’ll inevitably spend a lot of time in the library, reading, writing and studying. However, you might find yourself with time to explore and a need to unwind between lectures. Here are five non-academic things you can try in the library.

1. Search for old books

Our library has been collecting books since 1964, and if you look carefully for books with canvas or leather spines, you may find a historic gem. I’m often drawn to books with orange ‘pop loan’ stickers – some of these have conflicting annotations, where past students argue in the margins! If you’re lucky, you may even find an old punch card, which was used to process loans before barcodes.

2. Take in some nature

There are several scenic spots around the library to visit when you need a screen detox. Make sure you visit all three living walls – each floor has one in the same spot, but they all have different vibes. C floor’s living wall feels cosy, and it’s a great spot to read.

For the more outdoorsy student, take a left when leaving the library, and you’ll come to a raised patch of grass overlooked by The Ruskin building. This nearby green space is very convenient to sit, relax, and walk in. It’s well worth a visit.

3. Film night with friends

Take the night off and take advantage of the library’s group study spaces. They have plenty of space to sit, a big screen with a HDMI for your laptop, and a table for snacks. At night, these spaces are often empty and perfect for a film night. This is especially good for students in halls who don’t have access to their own lounge.

If you don’t know what to watch, you can use your university login to access both Box of Broadcasts and Kanopy. These platforms have a wide range of on-demand programmes, including documentaries, stage plays, TV series, and films, without the need for a costly TV licence or subscription service.

4. People-watch by the tree

Take in the natural light of the atrium, settle up on one of the sofas, and enjoy watching the world go by next to our indoor tree, Norma. Try and imagine the inner thoughts of each passerby. Notice the library regulars, taking the same seat every day. Delight in the parents that read to their children. Make up stories of the lives they lead. Our library is more than an academic space, and watching the community exist within it always helps me to relax, engage my creative mind, and forget the stress of academic deadlines.

5. Check out the leisure collections

How many leisure spots have you found in the library? There’s fiction to the right of the entrance, and a wellbeing nook to the left where you can pick up hobby books. We have a collection of DVDs nearby. Or you could browse the art that’s scattered around the building. You can even check out the A floor living wall for board games.

You can also loan books from the themed displays to expand your knowledge of equality, diversity, and inclusion, during events like pride month and black history month. These events sometimes coincide with special collections exhibitions which can be fun to explore. Keep an eye out for these and you might discover something wonderful.

 

People walking around Alexandra Square at Lancaster UniversityAsh - Why Open Days Are Important When Choosing a Uni

When applying to universities, it can be hard to know where to start. Lots of things might play a part in narrowing the list down: league tables, uni specialisms, uni websites and social media, recommendations, personal connections and preferences for geography… But it can all get quite overwhelming. I remember always being asked, "Would you prefer a campus or a city uni?" and thinking, "How should I know?!"

One thing that can be really helpful in making your final choice is the opportunity to go on open days. If you can, I would really recommend them. As everyone is so individual in what they want, often in ways they can't even define, a visit allows you to get a personal feel for a place in a way that a website never can.

Open days played a huge role in my decision to come to Lancaster. Having researched many unis online, I narrowed down my list, and Lancaster was my second choice. The uni which I had put first was one that I had absolutely fallen in love with on their open day. It was a beautiful sunny day, the city was lovely, and I was sure I had made up my mind.

However, when you get an offer, you might be invited to go to an offer holder open day - similar to an open day but slightly more tailored to your course. Despite already having visited my first choice, when I got invited for an offer holder day, I decided to go and visit again to learn more about the uni and my course. However, this time, I was surrounded by the students I would be studying with, and I realised that I felt out of place. The history department also didn't impress me very much: being quite a prestigious university it seemed they expected that students would want to go there without them having to put much effort in. The whole experience was just a bit 'off', and it's hard to really explain why.

By contrast, the Lancaster offer holder day was fantastic. I could talk to staff and students in the department and felt they were much more enthusiastic about incoming students. The student ambassadors also presented a really positive experience of going to Lancaster, and I got a much more optimistic and welcoming impression than I had at the other uni.

As a result of my open-day experiences, I decided to change the first choice on my UCAS form, and I'm so glad that I did! Visiting the uni in person gave me a greater sense of what it would actually be like to study there, providing insights into the culture and the general 'vibe'. I'm sure many people enjoyed studying at the other uni I was considering, but visiting the open day made me realise it was not the right fit for me.

Ash - Your Route to University

I have always been academically driven and thought I wanted to go to university for quite a long time. So, when my sixth form started encouraging us to make applications, I eagerly signed up. However, I knew I wanted to take a gap year, so I applied for a deferred entry, meaning I would start my course a year later.

During my gap year, I volunteered with a youth work sailing organisation for a few months. I enjoyed the experience so much that I seriously considered dropping out of my place at uni to instead work for them as a kind of apprentice. However, this being early 2020, COVID meant all their operations were shut down for the foreseeable future, so I ended up choosing to go ahead with my degree. Although I was a bit disappointed about this at the time, I am actually really glad I made this decision. The academic side of university really suits me, but I also think I have grown so much as a person because of all the other things uni offers that you don't necessarily think about - such as the chance to move to a new place, meet loads of interesting people and get involved of lots of exciting opportunities to name just a few!

The reason I chose to study History was simply because it was the subject I most enjoyed at A-Level. As I didn't know what I wanted to do after uni but knew I didn't want to go into a career that required a specific degree, such as medicine, law or engineering, picking what I was most interested in seemed like a good option. The humanities get quite a bit of stick in the media at the moment due to the supposed lack of job opportunities (which isn't true by the way!). I think this could tempt people away from choosing a subject they want to study – but remember, you'll be studying it for at least three years. A lot of that requires self-driven motivation, so you might as well pick something you will actually enjoy. (Also, the humanities are really valuable in their own right – don't let people tell you otherwise!). Choosing a subject I was passionate about meant that I was really interested in my course and motivated to study, which is a huge help when managing a large workload and lots of deadlines!

It's good to keep in mind that options for subjects at university are often far broader than what is offered in schools and colleges, so you may want to consider studying something new. Although I picked history, one of the reasons I chose to come to Lancaster was the option to study another subject in my first year. I took a minor in politics, which was new to me, and this was a great way of exploring a new subject without having to commit to it.

It is also good to know that some universities offer quite a bit of flexibility in terms of changing elements of your degree after you have accepted an offer or even started your course. For example, although I applied for a standard history degree, my gap year taught me the value of work experience. So, in my first term at uni, I switched my degree to History (Placement Year), which I didn't know was an option when I applied back in sixth form. Remember the sailing youth work charity I nearly dropped out of uni for? Well, they were the ones I ended up doing my placement year with, so in the end, I got the best of both worlds!

Charlotte - A day in the life of a second year medical student spent on campus!

8am – My alarm goes off, and I quickly make some toast and prepare for the day! (FYI I’m a last-minute person 😂)

8.30am – I jump on my bike and cycle to the main campus. It’s a lovely cycle, although I dreaded the steep hill at the end! 🚲

8.50am – I quickly lock up my bike and walk to the Elizabeth Livington Lecture Theatre along the North Spine.

9am – Our first lecture was on perioperative management of hip fractures: surgery, anaesthesia and frailty. This was a fascinating topic, as there are so many different ways to provide pain relief and operate on hip fractures! Each lecture is generally 50-55 minutes long, so we never have much time between lectures!

10am – The second lecture was by one of my favourite anatomy lectures on Bone – Structure, Function and Remodelling. 🦴

11am – After a quick trip to Greggs for a coffee, I went to my third lecture on medical ethics, sustainability, and the environment.

12pm – After finally finishing our morning lectures, I always like to meet friends for lunch. This time we ate outside, enjoying the rare sunshine of Lancaster ☀️

12.45pm – I then spend the next 2 hours in the library going over my flashcards on all the muscles and nerves on the lower limb to prepare for the PBL feedback session.

2.45 pm – I walk down from main campus to the Medical School and grab another coffee to get me through PBL.

3pm – PBL feedback session time. This is a 2-hour small group seminar-type session, where we all collectively recap on what we’ve learnt from our current module (this module was an orthopaedics module on broken bones). Our group really like to use the whiteboard to draw diagrams to help consolidate our understanding!

5pm – With PBL all finished, it’s time to dash to our final lecture on the causes of falls in the elderly, which is thankfully taking place in the Medical School.

5.50pm – Luckily our lecture finished on time so I can dash to Pendle College on the main campus for running training as part of Lancaster University Running and Athletics Club.

6.10pm – Running time! This week I’m leading the fast 5km round campus. We finish it in just over 23 minutes! I then hover around at the end to chat with some of the other runners. 🏃

7pm – Now for my least favourite part of the day - having to cycle home up the hills of Lancaster straight after running!

7.20pm – Once I get back home, I jump into the shower and make some tea. 🥗

8.30pm – After some food, I had a new boost of energy, so I decided to do another hour of PBL work and make some more notes on hip fractures!

9.30pm – I decide to call it a day with work and make myself a hot chocolate and put on some Netfilx to relax before going to bed!

11pm – I finally go to bed and set my alarm for 6am for placement tomorrow! 💤

Academic Libraries North Students as Co-creators Conference - Charlotte and El

Library Ambassadors had the pleasure of partaking in the Academic Libraries North (ALN) event on Thursday 11th January 2024. They represented Lancaster University which also hosted the event in the Library space. The focus of the event was “Students as co-creators: working with students as partners across library services”, with several university library teams joining us from across the North. Universities taking part included Lancaster, Chester, Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan, Salford, Liverpool and Sunderland. Our Library Services Director, Andrew Barker, opened the event with a speech celebrating the integration of students as a part of university library structure, explaining how this event paves the way for future continuation of students as creators, and how the future is bright with the collaboration of students and staff.

Throughout the morning we had an inspiring array of presentations from Lancaster, Chester, Manchester Metropolitan and Liverpool, all celebrating the unique way students have become part of the university library infrastructure. Lancaster’s talk included the work of our Library Ambassadors (led by Tom Morley, Uzma Kadri and Clemence Rossiny) and the School Engagement Project (led by Claire Shaikh, Paul Newnham, Eleanor Houghton and Charlotte Ross). From my point of view it was really exciting to share what we had achieved in the project so far and sharing my experiences as a Library Schools Engagement Ambassador. We were followed by the University of Chester who worked with their students on “Diversifying and Decolonising Reading Lists”, making a difference by helping reading lists reflect the world we live in now and represent the rich culture we now live in. This was followed by a short break, allowing everyone to share ideas about their own experiences of working with students. Next, Manchester Metropolitan University shared how they co-created a course regarding the “Rise of Media Misinformation” in the age of AI, as well as how they support student development in working with the library. To finish off the morning session, the University of Liverpool shared how they have students as partners in the library, supporting them through their development in gaining key skills whilst ensuring their student input is clearly heard. That ended the morning session while we had a lunch with lots to talk about from the morning presentations.

While tucking into a delicious array of sandwiches, we all started networking with students and staff from other universities. We felt honoured that library staff from other universities wanted to speak to us to get further insight into our role in the library here at Lancaster! After lunch, we listened to talks by the University of Salford about ‘Acting and Roleplay in Library Recruitment’. Their innovative approach involved enlisting students to portray typical and challenging scenarios for the library staff interviews. By embracing less conventional roleplay interview methods, they were able to interview a greater number of candidates, resulting in a more tailored selection of new staff members. The University of Manchester finished the presentations by discussing their '10-year-old and still completely new’ library student ambassadors scheme. It was really interesting to hear how the role of students working in the library has evolved over the last decades. After another quick coffee break, we finished the day with a student panel consisting of the student ambassadors from the University of Manchester, Liverpool and Lancaster. From my point of view, it was really exciting to be part of the student panel, and we all collectively answered the audience's questions. An emerging theme throughout the discussion was the shared enthusiasm among students across different university libraries despite the diverse array of roles each of us occupies within our respective institutions.

Once the student panel concluded, we engaged in networking for another half an hour before bidding farewell to staff and students from other universities who had to catch their trains or drive back home. The day left us all thoroughly inspired, and the feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive. Moving forward, I'm eager to see more ALN events and collaborative partnerships between libraries, as the presentations from other universities were incredibly enlightening. A key takeaway point from the event was the effectiveness of involving students as co-creators and partners across library services, something that holds immense potential for expansion across more universities in the years ahead.

On behalf of all the library ambassadors at Lancaster, we would like to thank Clare and Tom for their invaluable contributions to organising such a fantastic event!

 

Ash - When Things Go Wrong

When thinking about coming to university, many of the conversations are about how this will be the best time of your life. And while that might be true, it is only half the story. I have yet to meet a student who felt like they were constantly having the best time throughout the many years of their degree, as everyone faces some kind of stress, struggles, or hardships at various times. However, despite being just a normal part of the uni experience (and life generally), it is rarely talked about to people considering coming to university, which leaves many people wondering if they alone are doing something wrong when they first start finding things hard after beginning uni.

The first thing to know is that everyone struggles with university at some point. Moving away from home, starting a high level of study, and managing your time, friendships, and money can all cause challenges. Or it might be that events in your home life can leave you feeling anxious and separated from important people in your life. Difficulties are just a part of life that we have to accept; however, although university can be a challenging time, it also has loads of networks of support to reach out to.

There is so much support at uni that I couldn’t possibly name them all. For students, Lancaster University has groups and systems for support and guidance for mental, physical, academic, career, and financial well-being. There are also multiple forms of many of these categories, with support available from student societies, college welfare teams, the student union, academic departments and specialised services such as the student mental health service.

For me, my second year at university was particularly challenging. My academic workloads were very high, I had lots of problems with my physical and mental health, which meant I had to take extended time out of uni, and severe illness in my family life was also contributing to my stress. However, I reached out and was able to receive 1:1 counselling from the student mental health service, which really helped me process the challenges that were going on. My academic department was also extremely supportive and was able to put various measures in place to support me with my studies, such as providing extensions so that I would not have to retake the whole year (which also would have been a valid option and is something many students decide to do), and excuse an assessment due to my extenuating circumstances. Thankfully, I made it through my second year and returned for my final year in a much better position. I have thoroughly enjoyed my last year here (although, like everyone I have definitely had my hard times too).

The purpose of this blog is not to put you off uni but to hopefully raise awareness that if you begin to struggle for whatever reason, you are absolutely not alone. The pressure to always have the best time of your life at uni can come from peers, family, or social media, and can be very unrealistic and destructive. Please don’t feel you have to struggle on your own out of fear or shame that you have somehow ‘failed’ because you don’t seem to be having as good a time as other people. Reach out to whoever you feel the most comfortable talking to, and let people help you if you start to feel overwhelmed. Together, students will get through the hard times, enabling you to fully appreciate all the exciting, enjoyable and memorable moments that uni will bring. 

Ash - Dyslexia At University

At a recent visit to a school, I had a conversation with a student about how their dyslexia meant they found reading academic texts really challenging, and because of that, it was something they thought they couldn’t do. As a student with dyslexia myself, doing a degree which is heavily focused on reading academic texts (I study history, and it feels like all I do is read!) I really related to this student, and it inspired me to write about my experience as a student with dyslexia.

 

I wasn’t diagnosed with dyslexia until I came to university. Despite my school having suspicions, I was never officially tested, which meant I had a lot of practice in developing my own personal strategies to help work around it, which have continued to be extremely helpful at university. However, when I got to uni, I arranged my own test (which the university helped to arrange and cover the cost of). After receiving a diagnosis, a world of extra support became available to me!

I was first advised to apply for Disabled Student Allowance from Student Finance. The outcomes differ for everyone, but I was approved for funding for various technologies, which have been invaluable during my time at uni. I was given access to auto-correct, advanced spell and grammar checkers, transcription, read-aloud and colour screen tint software, which I could install on my laptop. Technology is definitely your friend, and it is a lot easier at university than it was for me at school, as most students use computers to do the majority of their university work anyway.

I also registered with the Lancaster University Disability Service, which created an Inclusive Learning and Support Plan for me – something which is commonly referred to as an ILSP, but acronyms and my dyslexic brain don’t get along too well, so I always think of it as an ISLP! The ILSP is a live document which can be amended and changed and is provided for students with all kinds of disabilities, providing the reasonable adjustments that you need for your studies. For me, it includes things like being able to record lectures (although most lecturers do this anyway), having extended library loans, being able to get extensions on deadlines, and being allowed extra time and the ability to use a computer in exams, which all take into account and adjust for my low reading speed. In my opinion, the best thing about the ILSP is that it is shared with teaching staff, who can make adjustments to help with your learning. For example, there are a few dyslexic students in one of my seminars, and the tutor always reads sources that we will examine aloud and relatively slowly, which is really helpful and allows us to engage just as much with the seminar without worrying about taking longer to read the passage. In my experience, the staff are all very understanding, helpful, and accommodating if you email them about any issues you might have with your studies. My assessments are also submitted with a cover sheet, meaning my work is marked with my dyslexia in mind.

While there is no getting around the fact that dyslexia can cause difficulties in academic settings, with the proper support from the university in place, there is no reason why it should significantly impact your experience at university. I really hope that it doesn’t put you off pursuing a degree you love!

Ash - University Societies 

Taking part in societies is a key part of so many people’s university experience, and there is something for everyone. It’s a great way to make new friends and try new hobbies while having fun. Some people get really into one society and it takes over their life a little bit while they are at uni – which happened with one of my friends and the swing dance society! Or, other people, like me, get involved in many different societies throughout their time at uni.

In my first and second years, I got very involved with the social action societies, of which there are so many at Lancaster. I was involved with Amnesty International, Young Greens, SolidariTee, and the LGBTQ+ forum, and I played a part in running all of these societies at some point. With these societies, we would organise campaigns to raise awareness or money for specific issues. For example, Amnesty International organised a sponsored walking challenge that lasted a month and raised nearly £2000 to support survivors of abuse. Sometimes, we would also travel; for example, a few people from the Young Greens went up to Glasgow to take part in the march for Cop-26. These societies were not only about campaigning; we would also meet up for chill social events such as pub quizzes, which was a great way to unwind in the evenings.

After returning from my placement year and knowing I was going into my final year, I decided to look for societies which were a bit more relaxed, helping relieve the stresses that sometimes come with uni work. This year, I regularly attend the craft, baking and vegetarian societies, which have both crafting/baking/cooking events as well as fun socials such as movie nights, board game nights, summer BBQs and bar crawls. It’s also worth keeping an eye out for other events, as lots of societies are open to people coming along at any time. For example, earlier this year, my friend and I made a birdbox with Edible Campus, which was great fun, and we got to keep it!

Ash - A Placement Year at Sea

As part of my degree, I also completed a placement year. This meant I spent my third year on a work placement and then returned to complete my degree in my fourth year. I had heard about STEM students completing placements quite regularly, but I actually had no idea that this was something people doing humanities degrees could do, so I only transferred to the placement scheme after I arrived at Lancaster.

As part of the placement scheme, I had to do preparation modules in my first and second years. In first year, this was mainly about helping to develop your self-awareness. In second year, it focused more on helping secure your placement – for example, thinking about your strengths and weaknesses so you can use them in job interviews. These modules were beneficial for practising important skills to help apply for jobs post-uni.

Finding a placement was slightly daunting, especially as I didn’t want to go down a corporate route, which are the most common placement roles. Luckily, the university was really flexible about what kind of jobs you could apply for, and they didn’t have to be related to my degree. Ultimately, I found a really exciting role as a youth worker, sailing instructor and admin assistant for a youth organisation that took young people on residential sailing voyages!

I was a little nervous about doing a placement year, as it is uncommon for history students. None of my friends were doing one, meaning they all continued with their degrees and went on to graduate before I returned. However, I don’t regret taking the leap for a second - my placement year was an incredible experience! I learned so many new skills and a lot about myself while working in a varied role on land and spending weeks sailing at sea. Some of the highlights would definitely be organising the charity’s annual training weakened for over 100 volunteers, working with young people to develop their confidence at outdoor centres and by leading them through the challenge of sailing, and taking part in an international youth sailing race across the North Sea to Norway – all while getting paid to do so!

My main takeaway for incoming students is that going to uni can be much more than just getting a degree. The uni experience can offer so much more than expected, leading to incredible and unexpected experiences. So, I would definitely recommend being open to new and varied challenges to get the most out of university.

Shannon - A day in the life of a third year History student

7:00am – Good Morning! Today is Tuesday which means it’s my longest day of the week. I have a 3-hour seminar today as well as working on my essays and my dissertation (which is due in 5 weeks!)

9:00am – Made it on to campus an hour early. Head over to Costa and get an iced latte to cheer myself up, because I know I need to be kind to myself! Here I read over my primary and secondary sources for my 3-hour seminar.

10:00am – Time for my seminar! This is a 60 credit module for third year historians, where you learn important skills like close analysis and reading as well as working effectively as a team. This week we are learning about the war on drugs which took place in the 1980s.

We discuss important social, political, and economic themes of each topic and then assess its relevance to polarisation. This subject is the best one I’ve done at university as I have the freedom and space to bring my own contributions to class – and to feel proud about it!

1:00pm – All finished! Time to head over to the library and get some lunch.

2:00pm – Working on my essay that is due next Friday. Currently reading about the pitfalls of AI to the study of history – full of biases! Who'd have known?

4:00pm – Time to start working on my dissertation draft chapters. This is due in 5 weeks, so I still have plenty of time. Decided that it’s okay to start my chapter again and this decision worked out very well and I am very satisfied with the work that I’ve got done in the day.

5:30pm – Meet up with a friend and head down to the gym for some time away from studies – university is definitely not only about studies!

7:00pm – Off home for a quick bite to eat.

8:00pm – Back to the Sports Centre for a two-hour swimming session with Lancaster University Swimming and Water Polo Club.

10:00pm – Back home for a full dinner and a lovely lie in ready for Wednesday!

 

Ash - Community Beyond University

When talking about university, there is often (understandably) a lot of emphasis on the university itself. However, I have found that getting to know and becoming involved in the community in Lancaster City is just as rewarding. Moving away from home and immersing yourself in a new city is all part of what makes university an incredible experience.

Despite being a small city, Lancaster has a great community with lots going on. Throughout the year, there are various festivals with events and installations around the city. A couple of my personal favourites are LitFest and Light Up Lancaster. LitFest is one of the UK’s oldest literary festivals, showcasing artistic talent through workshops and public talks, all of which are free or pay what you can. I have attended a few fascinating talks about Lancaster’s connection to the slave trade, which has really deepened my understanding of the local area. Light Up Lancaster is an annual festival of art and light that takes place around bonfire night. The free event encourages people to discover light installations all around the city after dark, which are always exciting and fun to explore.

As well as big festivals, Lancaster has so much to offer in terms of smaller events. Some of my favourites are The Wordarium and the Green Christmas Fair. The Wordarium is a monthly open-mic poetry event showcasing the talent of local poets. Although I don’t write poetry myself, I love to go and listen to all the incredible work being performed. Lancaster also has three theatres, and it is always worth checking out what is on. My friend and I went to an incredible improvised performance at The Dukes earlier this year, which, as it was part of Lancaster University’s Public Lecture Series, was completely free to attend! Lancaster Arts website is a great place to start looking if you want to know more about what’s on in the local area.

Coming to university is an excellent opportunity to start volunteering – especially as your schedule might be more flexible than people working full-time or at school. In my second year, I volunteered every Wednesday afternoon at Eggcup, a buying cooperative that helps tackle food waste and poverty. It is such a fantastic charity. I enjoyed volunteering there as it was a great way to get to know the people of Lancaster and give back in a small way to the city where I was making my home. Now, in my final year, I volunteer with a youth organisation called Escape2Make, which provides free activities open to all 11-18s in the local area. Volunteering with E2M is great fun, and I have learned a lot while volunteering at their clubs and workshops. My personal favourite event was a workshop with Atkinsons – Lancaster’s famous coffee roasters, which is nearly 200 years old!

The local area is brimming with places to explore, from local businesses, cafes and restaurants - my personal favourites being Single Step, The Old Pier Bookshop, The Whaletail Café and The Herbarium - to the stunning landscapes – including Fairfield Nature Reserve, Williamson Park (which has meerkats!), Lancaster Canal, Heysham and Morecambe Beach and, of course, the Lake District.

As you can hopefully see, throwing myself into the local community beyond the university has been such an incredible and important part of my university experience. I highly recommend that you take the opportunity to really get to know whichever places you go!

Charlotte - Young Carers Action Day 2024

13th March 2024 was national Young Carers Action Day. This is a day run by the charity Carers Trust that’s dedicated to raising awareness of young carers. A young carer is defined as ‘children and young people who look after a family member or friend who is ill, has a disability or misuses drugs or alcohol.’ There’s an estimated 1 million young carers in the UK.

Each year National Young Carers Action day has a theme. This year's theme was ‘fairer futures’ and is linked to widening access to higher education and employment for young carers. As someone who was a young carer as a teenager whilst in college, this is something I was keen to help promote.

Young carers can face many challenges whilst applying for higher education and employment such as having lower grades, less access to get relevant work experience, increased mental health issues, and sometimes being restricted to only being able to go to universities and jobs close to home. All of these challenges are due to the impact caring can have on a young person and can potentially restrict a young person from achieving their full potential. However, I also think there’s certainly many positives of being a young carer: it means I’m more mature and independent than my peers and it’s given me a great insight into healthcare and inspired me to go into a medicine career.  I was very fortunate to be supported by my local Barnardo’s young carers group while at college, and they helped me achieve my potential and to get into medical school. I was additionally very fortunate to fulfil multiple widening participation criteria and was able to be given a reduced grade entry and financial scholarships by Lancaster University that subsequently allowed me to study medicine here.

A few months ago, my old Barnardo’s worker contacted me and asked if I would like to speak to a member of their media team about my experience of being a young carer. I was happy to speak to them in the hope that my story could help increase funding for young carer services and inspire other young carers to pursue their dream career. After I was interviewed over Teams, I received a message a few weeks later from the main Barnardo’s team asking if they could share my story for Young Carers Action Day, as it fitted well with their theme of ‘fairer futures’. I was happy to help and they shared my story on all the Barnardo’s social media accounts under the pseudonym name ‘Laura’.

Read my article on the Barnado's website.

Charlotte - Future medics: The Aspiring Medic's Support

When I first started at Lancaster University in October 2022, I saw an advert for a scholarship for widening participation medics ran by a company called The Aspiring Medics Support (TAMS) and I was fortunate enough to be selected to be part of their first cohort of scholars. The scholarship aimed to help support widening participation through mentorship, financial bursaries and monthly online talks helping us make the most out of medical school. Last year, I was extremely privileged to be invited to the Royal College of Surgeons for the end-of-year celebration of the programme. In addition, I was also given a ‘goody bag’, which included a personalised stethoscope and a suture kit, which has been incredibly beneficial while on placement this year!

This October, I was invited by TAMS to do a presentation for their initial launch event for the next new cohort of TAMS scholar’s at Queen Mary’s University in London.

Despite flooding related travel chaos, I managed to get on the train from Lancaster to London and spent the journey reviewing my presentation. I arrived in London Euston just before 7pm and then spent the next 15 minutes, like most non-Londoners, trying to navigate the London Underground to ensure I got on the right tubes. 30 minutes later, after 2 tube rides, I had made it to my hotel in Bethnal Green.

The event the next day, which was hosted by Queen Mary’s University, started with an introduction by the founders of TAMS, talking more about the programme, followed by an icebreaker to meet and greet some of the new TAMS scholars. We then had a break and got to talk to the various TAMS leads about the programme's future plans. This was followed by an interactive talk led by the director of the scholarship on the importance of reflecting on moral values.

Straight after lunch, it was my turn to present. I talked about my experience last year being part of the programme, the obstacles I faced while at medical school and how I overcame them. I finished off my talk by giving the new scholars some top tips to make the most out of their first year in medical school, this included the importance of having breaks from studying and not being afraid to ask for help.

Straight after my presentation, we were all put into groups of 4 and told that we were going to have Dragon’s Den – style competition. In 15 minutes, we had to plan, practise, and pitch a product which offers a solution to problem faced by medical students to the dragons (TAMS leaders). My group proposed a medical students’ car share app, that solved the problem of medical students struggling to find fellow students to travel to placement with, especially for remote placements that are inaccessible by public transport. We thought this could be funded by individual medical schools as it would help them save money in the long run as they would have to reimburse fewer medical students for travel if there is more car sharing. It would also mean medical students are more likely to be on time for placement than if they were having to rely on public transport. The other groups proposed a wide variety of activities ranging from meals for medical students to an AI help app to cope with the stress of medical school. However, in the end, my group was announced as coming up with the best idea for a common medical student problem.

After sharing a celebratory box of chocolates, I headed off to Mile End to catch the tube (now feeling a lot more confident at navigating the London Underground) back to London Euston and brave the travel chaos back to Lancaster.