Develop digital library skills with LibSmart
Build your library skills with our online library skills course LibSmart I, including literature searching, managing references and avoiding plagiarism. Then develop advanced searching skills with LibSmart II.
What is LibSmart?
LibSmart is an online Learn course developed with the aim of ensuring that every student is digitally capable in using online library resources for their study and research. Open to all students, both courses can be worked through in their entirety, or one or two of the most relevant modules selected instead. The courses can be begun at any point in the academic year.
LibSmart I
Designed to help you get started using library resources at the University, LibSmart I can be studied how and when it suits you. It has five modules that will take you step by step from starting to use the library to researching a topic for a report or essay. You can choose to work through every module or just those most relevant to you.
You can revisit the course at any point during your studies, and use it as a hub of resources to support your personal and academic development. The content covers:
| Getting started with the Library | Get started with accessing and using online library resources for your studies |
| Your information landscape | Explore and use key library resources appropriate to your discipline |
| Finding and retrieval | Find material for an essay or report on a topic |
| Managing information | Manage the information you’ve found and avoid information overload |
| Referencing and avoiding plagiarism | Use Library tools to develop good academic practice with citation and referencing |
LibSmart I includes reflective activities to get you thinking about your own skills, experiences and what you hope to achieve.
LibSmart II
The LibSmart II Learn course takes you further into the library landscape, aiming to help you undertake dissertation, thesis or project research. These stand-alone modules will help you in develop knowledge of a wide range of digital resources, to learn specialised or advanced digital search techniques and to develop the skills to manage your research literature and data effectively. We recommend you complete LibSmart I before moving on to LibSmart II, as you will build on the foundations developed in the first level of the course as you complete each of your chosen modules.
Options include:
In LibSmart II you can choose to complete any number of modules that interest you from those available.
An Introduction to LibSmart (video)
- Video: LibSmart introductory video
- Video introducing LibSmart I and II, the online information literacy courses created by the Academic Support Librarian team and available on the Learn platform.
How to find LibSmart on Learn
From September 2023:
- All new students (undergraduate and postgraduate) will have been enrolled on LibSmart I
- All students (new and existing, undergraduate and postgraduate) will have been enrolled on LibSmart II
To locate the course in Learn Ultra:
- Visit www.learn.ed.ac.uk
- Log in using your UUN (normal university username and password)
- From the left hand navigation, select 'Essentials'
- Locate LibSmart I: Your Library Research Starts Here (2023/24) or LibSmart II: Advance Your Library Research (2023/24) from the list.
Please use the IS Helpline if you:
- are a member of staff who wants to use or review content in either LibSmart course
- cannot see, in your Learn Essentials area, the LibSmart course you want
- have problems accessing LibSmart
Contact the IS Helpline about problems accessing the LibSmart courses
Contact Us
To contact the Academic Support Librarian working with your subject area and talk about LibSmart, extra training or anything library-related, please use one of the pages below, or submit a request through EdHelp.