By far the best way to find out what books, electronic books, dvds, etc. we hold, click the link to the Library Catalogue.  As we work in partnership with West Lothian Council Libraries, when you search the catalogue, you will also find books held in the libraries throughout West Lothian, including the High Schools. You can request books from any of these libraries.  For guidance on how best to use the Library Catalogue, reserve and renew your books, click the following link for: Guidance  This information is provided by West Lothian Council.    Please note as a student, your username is your student number  (8 DIGIT NUMBER).   Your PIN number is the first 4 digits of your date of birth.  E.g. If you were born 4th May your pin number will be 0405.

finding information

Electronic Resources

borrowing entitlement

library card

This is our biggest collection of electronic books and covers a wide range of subjects  . It offers key word and  advanced search facilities.

This is currently our smallest collection of ebooks.  Click on the OpenAthens tab and then select or type in West Lothian College in the Institution tab. If you are already logged into your College Microsoft 365 account the list of books will then open. If you are not, you will be asked to sign in. Use your Microsoft 365 log in i.e., student number@west-lothian.ac.uk and the password you created.

Only a few books available from this company.  All these books are also available via the library catalogue link . Type Ebsco in the search bar and a list of the books available in this collection will be displayed. 

Alternative insights into the visual arts with fast paced news, comment, debate....

Anatomy TV is an interactive educational resource on human anatomy. It provides interactive 3D models as well as text, slides and video clips.

Anatomy TV can be used to:

• find information in an interesting and dynamic way
• view interactive images and videos
• find images for use in coursework and presentations   
• test your knowledge by taking interactive quizzes.

 Interactive and video guides to support learning anatomy for resistance training

The Courtauld Institute of Art provides access to a searchable database of over 40,000 images from the Courtauld, The Conway Library, and independent photographers.

The Business and Management Portal delivers high quality digital reports and other publications from the British Library’s collections to business and management researchers.  You will need to register to be able to access this resource.

The Social Welfare Portal provides a single point of access to our vast print and digital collections of research and information on policy development, implementation and evaluation.

This gives you access to a small collection of British Standards the College lecturers have chosen.  Use your Office 365 username and password to access.  As part our licence you are able to print and use these standards for your College work, they cannot be used for other purposes.

Listen to a selection from the British Library’s extensive collections of unique sound recordings, which come from all over the world and cover the entire range of recorded sound: music, drama and literature, oral history, wildlife and environmental sounds

Clickview gives access to hundreds of educational  videos and TV programmes. Your tutor may direct you to specific content or you can browse the content on your own.  Sign in using your college Office 365 email address and password. You will find the sign in button at the top right hand side of the screen.

Alternatively google search clickview uk or use the following link: www.clickview.co.uk. to take you directly to the Clickview site and use the same usernames and passwords above.

A series of healthcare databases..

This resource covers a wide range of topics such as Climate Change, Mental Health, Drugs, Alcohol and many other social issues in the form of Articles, Statistics and Related Web Links.

Username:   westlothian

Password:   westlothian

Good information on Psychology and sociology 

Username and password required. Available from Learning Centre staff.

J. Paul Getty Museum's Open Content Program makes freely available over 109,000+ digital images from the J. Paul Getty Museum and Getty Research Institute.

The Digital Commons Network brings together free, full-text scholarly articles from hundreds of universities and colleges worldwide. Curated by university librarians and their supporting institutions, 

Library Hub Discover brings together the catalogue of over 80 major UK research libraries: national, academic and specialist.

DOAJ is a community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals. DOAJ is independent. All funding is via donations, 40% of which comes from sponsors and 60% from members and publisher members. All DOAJ services are free of charge including being indexed in DOAJ. All data is freely available.

Directory of Open Access Books is a joint service of OAPEN, OpenEdition, CNRS and Aix-Marseille Université

Practice online for the British Citizen test.  Sign up for free.

Discover artworks, collections and stories from all around the world in a new way. Explore cultural treasures in extraordinary detail and easily share with your friends.

As the name suggests, this is a more scholarly Google .  It will provide access to lots of online journal articles etc which may support your studies.   If you have problems accessing the full articles, please contact the College Learning Centre staff who may able to help obtain this for you.

The Guggenheim offers art catalogues, essays on art history and more all freely available online

An up-to-date HABIA Health and Safety Resource for Beauty and Nails.  A paper copy is available on the shelves of the Learning Centre.  

An up-to-date HABIA Health and Safety Resource for Hairdressing and Barbering.  A paper copy is available on the shelves of the Learning Centre.  

This is an excellent resource covering contemporary social issues such as poverty, equality, homelessness etc.

Username and password are available from the Learning Centre staff   Email: LeaningCentre@west-lothian.ac.uk  Or it may also be listed in your course area in Moodle.

Enables you to cross search over 600 journals in the sciences, social sciences, humanities, medicine, law and engineering. Examples of some journals are:

British Journal of Social Work

British Journal of Criminology

Journal of Psychology

Online social science database

You will be able to access this resource using your College Office 365 username and password.  Use the login button at the top right hand side of the screen, then the  "use microsoft" option.

For help to make the best use of this resource use the following guide  Welcome! - How to Use JSTOR - LibGuides at JSTOR

Alternatively use the generic login details below:

username  westlothian

password  poloruva

Growing collection of Open Access journals covering topical areas

Kortext platform with access to approx. 10,000 curated Open Access (OA) and Open Educational Resources (OER) for the Further Education and Skills (FES) sector. 

The knowledge network is available to students who go on placement within the NHS and selected teaching staff. Registration details are available from the above link. If you need any assistance accessing and using this resource please speak to the Learning Centre staff.

Provides you with access to the library resources of Edinburgh Napier.  You can use this as a tool when searching for information.  The College Learning Centre staff can help obtaining any resource you may find.

Open educational resources include full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, ebooks audiobooks, streaming videos and films that are all available free to everyone.

The OAPEN Library contains freely accessible academic books, mainly in the area of humanities and social sciences. OAPEN works with publishers to build a quality controlled collection of open access books, and provides services for publishers, libraries and research funders in the areas of deposit, quality assurance, dissemination, and digital preservation.

The Oxford Open series is a new flagship open access (OA) journal series from Oxford University Press (OUP). Journals in this series will further OUP’s mission to support excellence in research, scholarship, and education. This will be achieved by providing additional high quality, broad scope, fully OA venues for researchers to disseminate their work.

PubMed is a free resource supporting the search and retrieval of biomedical and life sciences literature with the aim of improving health–both globally and personally.

SSERC offers a broad portfolio of services, principally in support of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) areas of the curriculum.

Username   WLC20189

password  DECHmont91

A searchable archive of American Vogue, from the first issue in 1892 to the current month, reproduced in high-resolution colour page images.

VADS: free art and design images for education

e-Books, e-Talking books, e-Magazines and digital resources accessible 24/7.   All free of charge using your public library membership card.  Definitely worth a look.

A brief introduction to essay writing skills

Writing a report can seem daunting. We have broken the process down into manageable chunks that may help you understand it better.

Checklist

Report

Report

During your course you will probably be asked to give a short presentation to your class or colleagues.  Many people find it very difficult to do this especially the first time!  Don’t despair… the following notes are aimed at not just helping you to put together a good presentation but also to improve your presentation techniques.

Everyone is different and will make notes in different ways, that’s why it is important to make your own notes in your own words. The three main types of notes you take will be from handouts , during class and when doing research. Click here for further information to help you improve your note taking skills.                                                                                                    

Note Taking Template

For most students exams are extremely stressful. In order to reduce the stress it is important to develop good revision techniques. Read on for further information.            

A list of books and ebooks to help give you a better understanding of Study Skills. Also includes a list of web sites to give further tips and information.

Recommended by the London School of Economics a list of useful apps that may help your studies. They include Study Planners , help with referencing and a  flash card app for revision. (most are available on iPhone and Android).

A collection of short bitesize course produced by the Government's National Career Service.  They are all free to access and cover options from beginner to advanced level.  Well worth a look at.

where to find ideas for questionnaire templates

Questionnaire Checklist

Links to useful video presentations on Questionnaire Design.

Google Search

Advanced Search

Scholar

Evaluating information

Reading effectively is one of the most important skills for students and will help you perform better. Follow our techniques and tips to help you get the most out reading books, articles, reports etc.

Learning styles are the different ways people learn. Understanding and identifying your own learning style can help you learn, problem solve and make decisions in work. Read on to find out more about each style and learn how to identify your own learning style.

Managing your time for college work  is about setting and following a schedule of study. This will help you organise and prioritise your studies around the competing activities of work, family etc.

Next to reading, listening is one of the most important skills you can develop to help you do better in college. In order to improve your listening skills in class it is important to concentrate on what is being said at all times - try not to day dream! Follow our techniques and tips to become a better listener!

To help in the fight against fake news, the BBC has compiled a collection of activities and resources to help students be more discerning when looking at the news.

Examples

Template

A short powerpoint to support a workshop on Harvard referencing. The powerpoint should be used in conjunction with your tutor or Learning Centre staff.

A brief explanation on how you can use microsoft word  to create to reference list.

A really good short video on the basics of using Microsoft word reference tap to do your Harvard referencing.

Provides a selection of useful tools and websites to help your understanding and use  the Harvard Referencing System.   

Microsoft Help offer great guidance on how to use the microsoft tab to create your citations (in text reference) and reference list at the end of your essays.

A short powerpoint, generally presented by Learning Centre Staff, explaining the basics of the Harvard Referencing System.

This provides an example of how an essay that includes Harvard References should look.   As per the Harvard system the list of references are in alphabetical order and include a  reference to Microsoft and West Lothian College.  Both of these references  are  real references and worth following to provide you with a good source of further information.

In this interactive film from the Open University, you'll watch a fellow student grapple with a tough deadline in the midst of her busy life. Can you help her make the right decisions?

testing Kahoot

some free access to this information.

Provides an introduction to AI  (Artificial Intelligence), how AI systems are created and their benefits and limitations for users

This information was provided to the College by Jisc, Oct 2024.

This section considers how we as end users of AI tools and systems can act responsibly and use AI to support our work mindfully.

This set of resources provides a series of examples of practical uses of AI tools in education by learners. 

A practical example: A practical scenario and explanation of how a learner can work with an AI tool. All examples are focused on using AI as a supporting tool to enhance learning, not to replace the learner’s work.

Suggested tools: We’ve compiled a list of tools and services that can achieve the example provided. We’ve focused on those that are generally most accessible to learners, but suitability can vary depending on individual needs and your institution's policies. We recommend checking our AI Tools directory blog to learn more about the tools mentioned if you are unfamiliar with them.

Examples provided include:

Preparing for interviews

Translating languages

Reading & Writing: Summarising

Reading & Writing: Text to audio

Microsoft has produced a lot of support materials to help you use and understand Copilot.  We thought this video provided a good introduction but you will easily find other by a simple google search.

Copilot is available to all students as part of your Microsoft 365 account. 

This toolkit has been developed by SDS  through consultation with educators and other partners to create a suite of resources that will support practitioners embed skills in a manageable and sustainable way.  Although aimed at educators, the toolkit  will provide you with a excellent understanding of what Meta Skills are and how you can use them

Another resource provided by SDS giving opportunities for learners to self-evaluate how they perceive the development of their meta-skills  and supports them in their ability to reflect on what they have done and help identify areas they need focus on next.   Best completed with lecturer support

Using this suite of self-evaluation tools with learners in a structured manner throughout their learner journey will support their ability to become independent learners and deepen their understanding. 

Aids

Alcohol

Alzheimers

Arthritis

Autism

Babies

Bereavement

Big Picture

Cancer

Carers

Cerebral Palsy

Child Protection

Counselling

Cystic Fibrosis

Depression

Diabetes

Disability

Discrimination

Down's

Dyslexia

Eating disorders

Elderly

Epilepsy

health and counselling

Health

Hearing

Heart Care

Homelessness

ME

Men

Mental Health

MS

Safety

Sexual Health

smoking

Spina Bifida

Vision

Voluntary Organisations

Womens Support Groups

Youth Support Groups

How to Log in to Microsoft 365, College Wifi and Moodle for the first time.

You Tube video help to use Office 365

What is Microsoft teams? Shows you the basics on how to use it.

Created by Diane Mitchell from the College Workforce Development Team, an excellent resource covering the basics of using Teams in a brief and easy to use manner.

Introduction to OneDrive

OneDrive provides you one place to store, share, and sync your work or school files. It is the Microsoft cloud service that connects you to all your files and gives you the ability to access them from anywhere and on any device.

PowerPoint is a presentation application that creates a slide show of important information, charts, and images to display during a presentation. Recent advances in PowerPoint include subtitling on slides, Presenter coach, and other enhanced interactive features.

Useful videos from Connecting Scotland covers:

How to choose a device and internet

How to use your device

How to stay safe online

How to do things

Computer terms and jargon.

A range of learning guides. You can work through the guides at your own pace using the 'Play' and 'Pause' buttons.

You may find it helpful to print out the documents below which give step-by-step instructions to getting online using a PC or tablet. 

Free Resources

Get the most from your computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone

New to the College? Feeling Confused? Need Information?  Use this guide to help answer those questions e.g Where do I find the College holiday dates? Can I Borrow a Laptop from the College? How Do I report Absence? etc

A list of Books, EBooks, Videos and Online Resources to support this topic

A list of Books, Ebooks, Videos and Websites to support this topic

A list of Books, Ebooks, Videos and Websites to support this topic.

A list of Books, Ebooks, Videos and Websites to support this topic.

A list of Books, EBooks and Websites to support this topic.

A List of Books, EBooks and online resources to support this topic.

Content will be available in the near future.

A list of Book, Ebooks and websites to support this topic.

A list of Book, Ebooks and websites to support this topic.

A list of relevant Books, EBooks, Videos and websites to support this topic

A list of Books, Ebooks, Videos and Websites to support this topic

A list of Books, Ebooks and online resources to support this topic.

A list of Books, EBooks and online resources to support this topic

A list of Books, Ebooks and online resources to support this topic.

A list of Books, Ebooks and web based resources to support this topic

A list of Books, EBooks and online resources to support this topic

A list of Books, E-Books and online resources to support this topic.

A list of Books, Ebooks and online resources to support this topic.

A list of Books, E-books and online resources to support this topic.

A list of Books, Ebooks and Websites to support this subject.  Have a look at 'Equality' in our Subject Hub for further information.

A list of Books, Ebooks and Websites to support this subject.

A list of Books, Ebooks and Websites to support this subject.

A list of Books, EBooks and online resources to support this topic.

A list of books, ebooks and electronic resources to support this topic

A list of books, ebooks and electronic resources to support this topic

A list of Books, EBoooks, Videos and electronic resources to support this subject

A list of Books, EBooks, Websites and Videos to support this topic.

A List of Books, EBooks, Videos and Web Links to support this topic

A list of Books, Websites and Videos to Support this unit

A list of Books, E-Books, Websites and Videos to support this topic.

Content will be available in the near future.

A List of Books,EBooks and Online Resources to support this topic

A list of Books, E-books, Videos and Websites to support this topic.

A list of Book, Websites and Online resources to support this subject.

A list of Books, E-books, Videos and Websites to support this topic.

A list of Books, E-books, Videos and Websites to support this topic.

A list of Books, E-books and Electronic resources to support this topic

A list of Book, EBooks, Weblinks and online resources to support this topic.

A List of Book, EBooks, Websites and Online Resources to support this topic.

A list of Books, EBooks and Electronic Resources to support this topic.

A list of Books, E-books, and Electronic Resources to help support this topic.

A List of Books, EBooks and Online resources to support this topic

A list of books, e books and other resources to support your course work

A list of Books, E-books and Online Resources to support this topic.

A list of Books, EBooks and Electronic resources to support this topic.