Starting the semester? The Library can help!
Subject: Multidisciplinary
Two recent winners of best final project awards have been explaining how the Library helped them conduct their studies.
The Library catalogue features books, platforms, e-journals, papers, documentaries and much more, all just a few clicks away. These resources are an excellent way to delve deeper into your course subjects or even to satiate your own personal interests.
If you're working on your final project for your bachelor's degree or master's degree this semester, check out the resources available. Anna Cepeda and Marta Cabot are two of the more recent winners of the prizes awarded to UOC students for delivering the best final bachelor's degree or master's degree projects. Given their success, we decided to reach out to gain some insight into how the UOC Library helped them to achieve their project goals.
"The Library was without a doubt my primary source, not only for bibliographic references but also many other resources that proved incredibly useful in producing a more thorough, well-documented project"
Anna Cepeda Molero earned the prize for best final project from the Bachelor's Degree in Communication. Titled El pes de la comunicació dels polítics en la decisió de vot dels ciutadans (Political discourse and its influence on citizens' voting decisions), her project analysed the electoral behaviour of citizens as the targets of aspiring politicians' electoral campaign messages.
How did the Library's resources help you with your final project?
When I started my final bachelor's degree project, my first move was to get a better handle on the search tools and the plethora of features they offer.
I had been using them throughout my degree, but thanks to a very interesting workshop put on by the UOC, I realized that I had probably been underutilizing them. The Library was without a doubt my primary source, not only for bibliographic references but also many other resources that proved incredibly useful in producing a more thorough, well-documented project.
In what ways do you think the Library can benefit other students?
The Library is essential in many obvious ways, I'd say, such as for looking up the recommended readings in all your courses. But personally, I think its most invaluable when you're doing your final project. As you dig deeper and deeper into your chosen topic, you end up treating information and references like gold. And if you're looking to strike gold, the Library is the easiest-to-use, quickest and most efficient tool we have at our disposal as UOC students. Also, if you're not keen on taking out books on loan, even though it's an efficient and swiftly handled service, the Library has a growing number of e-books and other e-resources that can be opened with just one click.
What do you think about the learning resources you used in your courses? Were there any that you really liked?
In some courses they were more enriching and elaborate than in others. They were generally really useful, though, especially the articles and audiovisual materials, as these can be harder to pick from the sea of information floating online.
I would also highlight how great it is to be able to access your previous courses' updated resources because, as a UOC student, I see learning as a living thing that perpetually grows and evolves. Besides that, you may need to go back to these updated resources for your final bachelor's degree project, like I did with some of the Bachelor's Degree in Communication courses.
"In the Library I found current and extremely up-to-date resources that I was eager to get my eyes on"
Marta Cabot Navarro took home the prize for best final project from the Master's Degree in Corporate Communication, Protocol and Events. Her project was called Pla de comunicació del CIRD: Centre d'Informació i Recursos per a les Dones i servei d'atenció a la diversitat sexual i de gènere de l'Ajuntament de Mataró (A communication plan for the Women's Information and Resource Centre [CIRD] and Mataró City Council's sexual and gender diversity support service). At the time, the CIRD had no communication plan in place, despite its major focus on outreach, and Cabot jumped at the chance to apply a substantial part of the master's degree content to this real-life issue.
How did the Library's resources help you on your final project?
The Library resources were instrumental in producing my final master's degree project, as well as for several of the degree's continuous assessment activities. I don't think I'm exaggerating if I say that the UOC Library allowed me to gain insight from all the great authors of the courses I took.
In the Library I found current and extremely up-to-date resources that I was eager to get my eyes on, not to mention the materials written by UOC faculty, which are remarkably educational and give you an overview of every subject. It's interesting because, if I took note of the references to track them down later, more often than not I could find them in the Library catalogue as well. In short, I would vouch that it's very complete and diverse.
In what ways do you think the Library can benefit other students?
The Library service stands out to a large extent because of its ease of use. First and foremost, because you can request to have the resources sent to your home, which is a plus when it comes to dovetailing the degree with work and family life. There are also several document drop-off points spread throughout the region.
Another pro is how swiftly they handle your queries.
Is there a specific Library resource (a book, digital communication platform, newspaper archive, journal, etc.) that you would recommend?
Honestly, I've used all sorts of resources and found them all incredibly useful. Some more than others, of course, depending on the subject at hand.
I also found it really convenient that so many of the bibliographic references are linked to resources that are either available online or downloadable as e-books that only require basic software to read. Because of that I was able to view them without delay, quickly scan them for information and sometimes even listen to them as audiobooks.
