Earth sciences resources and support

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Earth Sciences Collections

The core collection of Earth Sciences resources can be found in the Wills Library:

The overall classmark scheme is set out in this table, but do use the library catalogue, title and keyword searching, for more detail. The main book stock can found on the upper floor of the Earth Sciences wing.

GB	Physical Geography
GC	Oceanography
QE1 - QE350	Geology (general)
QE351 - QE399.2	Mineralogy
QE420-QE499	Petrology
QE500 - QE625	Dynamic and Structural Geology
QE640 - QE699	Stratigraphy
QE701	Palaeontology
TN	Mining and Mineral Resources
Z	Bibliographies

Oversize books are shelved at the beginning of the sequence on the upper floor

Serials (Journals), Atlases and Ref. (Reference Material) are found on the ground floor of the Earth Sciences wing.

 

Collections in other libraries

• The Geographical Sciences Library holds materials on subjects such as climate change, Earth systems, geomorphology, glaciology.
• The Queens Library holds materials on engineering, hazards and mathematics.
• The Biological Sciences Library holds material on plants and animals.

New books

• New books are displayed on the New Book Display in the Earth Sciences wing of the Wills Library for two weeks, during which time they may be reserved using the Library Catalogue but not borrowed.

Course based materials

A wide range of materials to support Earth Sciences courses are available in the Wills Library (ask at the Desk):

• Recommended textbooks may be available in the Short Loan Collection (SLC) (details are on the catalogue).
• Examination papers can be found on the Departmental website.
• Many undergraduate course materials will be available on Blackboard.

Thesis collection

Earth Sciences PhD and MSc theses of staff and students of the Earth Sciences (formerly Geology) Department, from 1910 to date, are available in the thesis collection in the Wills Library.

Special collections

Earth Sciences holds some rare books, including those from Eyles bequest, most of which are held in Special Collections in the Arts and Social Sciences Library.

The Wills Library holds a reprints collection containing reprints of articles from the late 19th century to the mid 20th century. These are of particular interest for palaeontologists, and a card catalogue of articles can be found in the first bay of the library. Please ask for further details, and to access the papers themselves.

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• Quick search on the Library homepage
  search for books, journals, or articles and databases using our various search tools, plus Internet search using Google Scholar.
• The Subject resources section of these pages includes Earth Sciences databases via MetaLib for searching for journal articles references, etc, quick reference tools, Internet links, and reviews and bibliographies.
• Our Library collections and eResources pages give full advice on finding all types of materials.
• The Inter-Library Loans (ILL) service can be used to obtain Items not held in print in the University's branch libraries or available online. See below for more details. Access to other university libraries and the British Library may be a useful alternative.

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The Inter-Library Loans (ILL) service can be used to obtain Items not held in print in the University's branch libraries or available online. There is a charge for this service, though it may be possible to obtain an Inter-library loan voucher to pay for this:

• Earth Sciences academic staff should be able to obtain an Inter-library loan voucher from the Departmental Office.
• Earth Sciences research PhD, MSc, and MSci students must arrange this via the Earth Sciences Department and seek approval from their tutor prior to making an order on the library computer system. If you do not, you run the risk of covering the cost of an Inter-Library Loan (currently £8.00) yourself. Further information is available from the Earth Sciences Department.
• Earth Sciences undergraduates will only be able available to obtain an Inter-library loan voucher in exceptional circumstances. Undergraduate students must arrange this via the Earth Sciences Department and seek approval from their tutor prior to making an order on the library computer system. If you do not, you run the risk of covering the cost of an Inter-Library Loan (currently £8.00) yourself. Further information is available from the Earth Sciences Department

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• Our Research support pages cover finding information, managing information, and exploiting your research, together with sources of further help and advice.
• Each academic department in the university has its own library representative, whose duties are detailed in these guidelines. The Library Representative for Earth Sciences is Dr Mary Benton.
• Book purchase recommendations can be made to the Subject Librarian for Earth Sciences or the Library Representative for Earth Sciences.
• New journal / database subscription requests can also be made to the Subject Librarian for Earth Sciences or the Library Representative for Earth Sciences, though you will need to suggest how we might fund a new subscription.
• New academic staff are welcome to contact the Subject Librarian to arrange a session on how the Library can help you.

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MetaLib: your resource gateway provides access to a vast range of online resources, including databases, search engines, subject gateways, and selected Internet resources.

Earth Sciences databases via MetaLib (list with brief details)
This link takes you to the list of Earth Sciences databases and other information resources, with brief details displayed against each. Click on the Info icon to display the full details. Alternatively, Earth Sciences databases via MetaLib (cross-search list) lists the same databases, but with a cross-search option. For details of a particular resource click on the Info icon next to the resource name.

Resources include:

• Web of Science - abstracts of journal articles with links to full text where available
• Other more specialist index and abstracting services for life sciences, engineering, physics and computing
• Lyell Collection - full text of journals and books from the Geological Society of London
• Digimap including Geology Digimap containing British Geological Survey map data

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Lyell Collection - Geological Society of London Publications Online

all in full text including:

• Journal of the Geological Society back to 1845
• Geochemistry : Exploration, Environment, Analysis from 2001
• Geological Society Memoirs 1958 onwards
• Geological Society Special Publications 1964 onwards

Note : for the Memoirs and Special Publications search by keyword for specific content, or browse by year for full content of individual titles.

Gateways to Earth Science resources

• Intute - a free online gateway to the very best Web resources for education and research. This includes Intute: science, engineering and technology with individual sections covering Earth Sciences , Engineering and Environment. See also the Learning Resources section below.
• Scirus - a searchable gateway to science resources on the web.
• EurekAlert! - Earth Science section of the online press service created by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Learning resources

• Internet for Earth Science is a free, interactive tutorial on Internet information skills for earth sciences from Intute. It will help you find, learn how to use and evaluate information you find on the Internet.
• Internet Detective is a more general guide to using the Internet for research, evaluation, and avoiding plagiarism. See also plagiarism advice from the Library and your own department.
• Library Catalogue - for print resources and Metalib - for electronic resources : short videos for learning how to make use of these resources effectively.

Learned societies and other organisations

• The Geological Society
• The Mineralogical Society
• The Geologists Association
• Palaeontological Association
• Geological Society of America
• American Geophysical Union (AGU)
• British Geological Survey

Data sources

• CRC handbook of chemistry and physics online - a searchable databook covering all aspects of chemistry, physics and associated sciences. The Chemistry databases page includes some advice about its use.
• Landolt-Börnstein - a high-quality chemistry, physics and technology data collection. We only have online access to the earlier volumes - access to the newer ones is very expensive, though you may be able to buy individual extracts yourself. Some of these early volumes are also available in print in the Chemistry and Physics Libraries (check the catalogue)
• GeoGuide - click on Subjects, then Earth sciences to find many useful links including jobs
• EarthRef - Earthref.org is an umbrella site for sources of reference data and models for a range of earth science sub disciplines
• OceanPortal - a project of the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange providing a one-stop shop for ocean data and information.

E-books - freely available online

• Ocean Drilling Program and Deep Sea Drilling Project reports and information. Many volumes from this collection can be found in the Earth Sciences Library at Serial QE39.I5, and in the Earth Sciences Department. All have recently been digitised and are available from this website.

• Ocean acidification due to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide Royal Society, 2005

• Salminen et al. (eds) Geochemical Atlas of Europe Finnish Geological Society, 2005

Journals - open access Earth Science collections

• Bentham Publishers - open access journals by subject
• GeoScience journals - a portal for open access journals from around the world, including free titles from GeoRef

 

Research bodies and projects

• Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) publications including Planet Earth

 

University Departments

• University of Bristol Earth Sciences Department

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General Earth Sciences dictionaries and encyclopedias in the Wills Library

• Quick reference general dictionaries and encyclopedias for Earth Sciences can be found in the Wills Library at Ref. QE5

• CRC handbook of chemistry and physics online - a searchable databook covering all aspects of chemistry, physics and associated sciences. The Chemistry databases page includes some advice about its use.

Examples of Earth Science quick reference tools

Item	Classmark
Encyclopedia of Geology	Ref. QE5 ENC
Treatise on Geochemistry	QE515 TRE
Practical handbook of physical properties of rocks and minerals	QE366.8 PRA
Encyclopedia of Paleoclimatology and Ancient Environments	QC 884 ENC
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Earth Science	Ref. QE5 MAC
The Geoscience Handbook and AGI data sheets	Ref. QE52 GEO
Fact on File Dictionary of Environmental Science	Ref. TD9 WYM
Igneous Rocks : a classification and glossary of terms	Ref. QE461 IGN

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Reading review articles can be a good way of familiarising yourself with a topic quickly. Review articles can be published in normal journals, or in review type journals like those listed below. In many databases you can search for review articles, eg by refining search results in Web of Science by Document type.

Some examples from the Wills Library:

Bibliographies

Some bibliographies can be found in the Reference section of the Earth Sciences collection in the Wills Library. Consult the Library Catalogue for details.

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• The Earth Sciences Librarian provides Information literacy training within the course structure, but help can be given to individuals or groups at other times by arrangement.
• A number of general 'Self-learning resources' are available below, including video tutorials, downloadable library guides, and web resources.
• Find out about referencing in your written work and EndNote referencing software in 'Referencing help'.

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• Information literacy training is provided at the start of your course, but the Earth Sciences Librarian (see above) is able to give help and support to individuals and groups at other times by arrangement.
• A number of general 'Self-learning resources' are available below, including video tutorials, downloadable library guides, and web resources.
• Find out about referencing in your written work and EndNote referencing software in 'Referencing help'.

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• Video tutorials - topics include the Library Catalogue, understanding references on reading lists, using the MetaLib resource gateway, off-campus access to eResources, etc.
• Finding and using information pages - covering key aspects of information skills, including researching a topic, effective use of Google, evaluating your search results, avoiding plagiarism, etc. Also includes a Jargon-buster page.
• Library guides - downloadable guides to each branch library, our main search tools, special library services, etc.
• External resources for developing your information skills - including online tutorials and downloadable guides.
• Find out about referencing in your written work and EndNote referencing software in 'Referencing help'.

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Referencing

• There is no single way of writing references. The two most common styles are the Harvard system and the Numeric system, details of which can be found in the guides mentioned below. You will need to use the style specified by your department or by the body or journal to which you are submitting your work.
• The Earth Sciences Department gives further advice on study skills, including writing skills and citing references.
• General referencing guidance
  includes Why reference? What is included in a reference? Referencing styles, How to reference, Links to useful sites on referencing, and brief details of EndNote and EndNote Web referencing software (see the EndNote referencing software section below for more details).

Journal title abbreviations

Literature references are often written with abbreviated terms. Probably the most troublesome are abbreviated journal titles which can make finding a journal difficult.

In Earth Sciences the journal title abbreviations used by the Geological Society are often used. A list of these is given in their List of Serial Publications which is kept at Ref. Z6033 GEO in the Earth Sciences wing of the Wills Library.

Alternatively you may find the following information sources useful:

• ISI Journals Abbreviations Index - covers all journal titles included in the Science Citation Index (Web of Knowledge)
• All that JAS: Journal Abbreviation Sources - a registry of web resources that list or provide access to the full title of journal abbreviations
• List of journal abbreviations

 

If you are unable to find the abbreviation you are looking for, please ask a member of the Library staff for assistance.

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• Geowriting :a guide to writing, editing, and printing in earth science is available in the Wills Library at QE48.85 GEO.
• Other titles on scientific writing can be found in other University of Bristol libraries. Consult the Library catalogue for details.
• General advice on writing and style guides
• Our Plagiarism: information and advice for students page explains what plagiarism is, how to avoid it, and the consequences of plagiarism.

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EndNote is the University of Bristol's recommended bibliographical management software, which can be used to collect, store, organise and manage references, and to output them as reference lists or bibliographies. A particularly useful function is 'Cite While You Write', enabling you to format Word documents, producing bibliographies and adding references within the text.

• EndNote Basic (formerly EndNote Web) help, advice and training sessions
  This is the recommended version for all undergraduate and taught postgraduate students - it is available free to UoB students and staff.
• EndNote Desktop support
  Academics, researchers and research postgraduates can use the desktop version, which may be installed on their UoB PC. See the 'Help and support' page of EndNote Desktop support for details of self help training materials.

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