Our research trip to the University of Hull

As I stated in my previous diary entry, today we went on a research trip to the University of Hull to take advantage of the incredible range and amount of resources they are privileged to have at the uni. My mouth was literally watering as we looked around at the fantastic facilities they had to offer. It was amazing to see how these have a large, beneficial impact on the students and the ways they help with their studies. The day was already planned out when we reached the uni so I will talk (well... type) you through my day and how helpful I found the experience. 

9am: To begin the day, our group gathered outside our college gates ready to walk to the uni. Luckily, our destination was in a 20 minute walking distance so we weren't too exhausted from the seldom exercise by the time we got there. 

9:45am: This was when our day properly started as we were directed into a lecture room (a very fancy one, may I add) as this was where we were told how our day will go and what activities the helpful staff at the uni had planned for us relating to our EPQ. Until it was time to go on a tour of the library, we went through several powerpoints. The first one told us more about the university and the opportunities the newly constructed facilities provide for students and ordinary people, as well as informing us on how university is much different from college. The second powerpoint was a detailed tutorial on how to use the university's library catalogue system to find relevant books, articles and journals that could help us with our quest to find information. The lady showed us how to insert key words into the search engine in order to refine our search to make it as specific, useful, and relevant as possible. She also went through the different sources of research available to us in the library, as well as on the internet/computers, and the benefits and disadvantages of these sources which will help with my preliminary source evaluation. The last powerpoint was filled with information on referencing, including why is it important, the different types of referencing, and what to actually write when referencing a source of information. The lady told us about direct quoting and paraphrasing, the things we need to give reference to (e.g. images, diagrams, data, numbers), and what aspects to include in the reference (e.g. author's name, year of publication, publisher). After going through this information, we did an activity where we were given a book and an academic journal and we had to reference them with the help of a guide they gave to each of us.

11:30am: This was the part I was looking forward to the most ... THE LIBRARY TOUR! As an English Literature student and a lover of books you can imagine how excited I was to be in a building of millions of books. I may have exaggerated that number but I was beyond excited and ready to explore. There are seven floors to the library ... SEVEN FLOORS! Totally beats our library of just one floor. I couldn't help but look around with my chin practically touching the floor in amazement at all the books that were waiting for me to get my hands on them. And there were so many computers and study areas, and a reading room! I was honestly in heaven. 

12pm: Second best part of the day ... dinner time! We had pizza and chips. I chose chicken. Best decision I've made all year. Also, Chris had two pizzas, thinking we hadn't noticed. We did. Good attempt at being sneaky. 

1am: It was time to research! We were led into a separate computer room which allowed us to access the library catalogue search engine, therefore we could gather a list of relevant books to look for in the huge library. Also, the 'Summon' feature of the catalogue made it really easy for us to search for academic journals and articles that we could easily take a photo of to reread later on. This feature expanded our range of resources, presenting us with extra information and knowledge from different academics. After I collected a list of books to look for, as well as their location, we were taken into the library and let alone to find our targeted books. I didn't find the first novel I looked for as I believe someone had taken it or misplaced it but, in that area where it was supposed to be, I found other novels relating to Jane and Pride and Prejudice that were on my list so I took snaps of a few relevant pages from those books. Although the library system seemed quite complicated at first, I soon managed to understand it and began to find other books, now relating to 18/19th century Britain, really easily. Half an hour, I hopped back in the lift to rejoin my group, ready to head back to college to catch the bus. 

3pm: Back to college we went!

All in all, it was a really helpful and informative day as I managed to collect a bunch of sources to read through and evaluate, and hopefully find some juicy information that will help with my project. In terms of motivation, using different resources and finding information relating to my project, as well as looking at referencing and the benefits of completing an EPQ, has reinforced that excitement I first felt when I heard about this qualification, which has made me feel charged with motivation to delve into my project research and other tasks waiting to be completed. Hopefully this is not a short-term feeling. 

On that note, until next time!