Mathematics and Statistics
Subject guide to library related topics
Welcome to this, your library guide. Other pages of possible interest are listed in the menu.
The Main Library building will be open on some days of the winter closure and public holiday period. Refer to the webpages for dates and times:
DiscoverEd is the place of record for the books, journals, newspapers and everything else The Library holds.
Library Bitesize sessions on a variety of topics
Finding academic literature
Librarian consultation (one-to-one session) - advice on literature searching, library research and referencing:
Online personal consultations with Academic Support Librarian during semester time
Referencing advice clinics including on reference management software tools:
Study resources for literature reviews
Usually two per semester with one online and one on-campus
Dissertation and Thesis Festival
A week of events in October and February
Finding Academic Literature sessions from IAD:
IAD Finding Academic Literature sessions
Recorded IAD session for taught postgraduates, Searching Research Literature, relevant for anyone who has to produce a literature review.
The aim of the session is to help people know:
- What to consider before starting to find academic literature.
- The range of information resources available from UoEdinburgh Library.
- Some techniques to effectively retrieve information for your research.
- How to be sure you can read what you need from The Library and what to do if you cannot.
Databases
For finding data and academic research literature for mathematics, eg MathSciNet and ZentralblattMATH and others.
Books
Use DiscoverEd to find out whether Edinburgh University Library has the book you want to read. Try using the ADVANCED SEARCH
Set Material Type to Books and the search to be in the Title field. If you're sure about the book's title, you can reduce results' noise even further by selecting starts with (Title search only).
A book's full DiscoverEd record will tell you what libraries have copies (you can borrow from all the centrally managed libraries).
Borrowing books and other resources
DiscoverEd will tell you how many of all the copies of a title the Library has bought are available for you to borrow, eg (3 copies, 1 available), and give the alphanumeric code (shelfmark or classmark) which is attached to that particular book, eg QA184.2 Poo.
The first part (QA184.2) of the classmark is where other books on the same topic are kept. The last part (Poo) identifies your book amongst others on the same topic.
How long can I borrow a book for?
In capital (uppercase) letters in brackets is how long you can borrow the different copies. If copies are out on loan you can ask for one to be returned early for you to take out. You need to choose Sign in to DiscoverEd to see this option.
Books online
If you are only interested in online books, use DiscoverEd's Full Text Online filter in the Refine my results menu. Online books do not all offer the same options to their readers.
Journals
Some of the University of Edinburgh's online journals for mathematicians
Use DiscoverEd's ADVANCED SEARCH before deciding you cannot get the article you need from Edinburgh University Library.
Set Material Type to Journals and the search to be in the Title field. If you're sure about the journal title, you can reduce results' noise even further by selecting starts with (Title search only).
Enter the journal (not article) title in the search box you have prepared.
Read the information about the years available from each place the Library has been able to buy the journal.
Choose the place which includes the issue you need.
If only a start date is given, eg Available from 1860 volume: 1 issue: 1, the most recent issues are available.
Some sellers cannot make available the most recent issues. This information is included in DiscoverEd records, eg Most recent 1 year(s) not available.
Getting copies of print articles: a free and same (week)day service
Information about print-only articles
Free scans of articles, sent to your email address, are available of articles from journal issues in The Library's collection which are only held in print format. Sign In to DiscoverEd and look for Digitize Other Issue
Request Other Issue is what to use to have the print issue sent to one of the on-campus libraries for you to go to and use. Most print journal issues are hardback bound in collections of volumes/years.
Scan and Deliver (digitsed extract not full copy) appears on individual journal issue holdings which happen to be on the DiscoverEd record.
Academic Support Librarian (my personal pronouns: she/her)
Noreen and Kenneth Murray Library
The main print book collections for Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Engineering, Geophysics, Mathematics and Physics are held in the Murray Library at The King's Buildings.
Noreen and Kenneth Murray Library information
KB101
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