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Information for IDS students

Contents

About BLDS

The British Library for Development Studies (BLDS) is a graduate research library, containing the largest collection of economic and social development materials in Europe. All IDS students, and all University of Sussex and University of Brighton postgraduate students, can join (please look at undergraduates for what we can offer undergraduates). Further information can be found under Membership.

BLDS is located on the first floor of the IDS building – ask at the Reception Desk by the main entrance for directions.

Opening hours

Mon – Fri, from 9.30am – 9.30pm, with the Service Counter open from 10.00am – 5.30pm for lending and enquiries. Further details can be found under Opening hours.

Course reading

• The full text of most essential course readings and course handbooks are available on Study Direct.
• The Teaching Collection and Research Materials collection contain printed texts of essential course readings, together with a large number of major development studies texts.

List of MA dissertation titles 2008

• MA Development Studies
• MA Gender and Development
• MA Globalisation (not available)
• MA Governance and Development
• MA Participation, Power and Social Change (not available)
• MA Poverty and Development
• MA Science, Society and Development

Printed and electronic resources

Full details of the BLDS Collection can be found under our Collection page. In particular:

• The Catalogue allows you to search the Collection and gives you shelf locations in the Library.
• The E-Library connects to many electronic resources, including E-journals and other libraries' web sites.
• Subject Guides are pre-designed searches of the catalogue and electronic resources by subject.
• Country profiles are pre-designed searches of the catalogue by country.
• All IDS students are members of the University of Sussex and can use the University Library's resources. Their Catalogue shows you what is in their Library. The University Library also has a large number of E-journals and other electronic resources, which you can be access via their Electronic Library or Finding Resources pages.
• You can use the BLDS catalogue and the University of Sussex Library catalogue off campus with no need for a username or password. Many of BLDS's E-journals can be used off campus if you have an ATHENS username and password, available to all IDS students from BLDS. In addition, University of Sussex electronic resources can be used off campus with your University username and password.
• We produce several downloadable guides to BLDS resources and services.

FAQs for IDS DPhils and researchers

DPhil students and researchers often have specific needs and access to resources that differ to those of masters' students. Please search these FAQs for any questions you may have.

All members of IDS are also members of the University of Sussex so you are entitled to use the resources, and join the courses offered by the University of Sussex Doctoral Office

Other services

Full details can be found under Services, Facilities and Membership. In particular:

• Book borrowing. Postgraduate students can borrow up to 30 items; for further details, see IDS students and University of Sussex / University of Brighton postgraduates.
• You can use My account to check what materials you have on loan or reserved, to renew items you wish to keep longer, and to reserve items that are currently on loan to someone else.
• Photocopying and scanning facilities are available within BLDS.
• If you have an enquiry, ask at the BLDS Service Counter between 10.00 am – 5.30 pm, or email Ask a librarian.
• Using our Interlibrary Loans service, you can order up to 6 items at any one time from other libraries. ILL request forms are available from the BLDS Service Counter.
• There are eight computers on the first floor, and one on the ground floor; and these can be used to search the library catalogue and to access networked and online materials. (Please note: The computers cannot be used for word processing, and there are no general printing facilities – we recommend saving information to a memory stick instead.)
  
• BLDS and the reading room have wireless coverage for laptops.

Membership

Membership of BLDS is open to all IDS students, and all University of Sussex and University of Brighton postgraduate students. Fill in a membership form, either by printing one out and bringing it to the Service Counter with your University ID card, or picking one up at the Service counter. Further information can be found under Membership.

Disabled access

Please contact Jenny Brookes , Tel: +44 (0)1273 915650 or R.Playforth@ids.ac.uk, Tel: +44 (0)1273 915648.

Keeping up to date with BLDS news

Keep up to date with BLDS news, acquisitions and services through the BLDS Newsletter and BLDS on Twitter. And you can use Twitter to tell us what you think abour what we're doing!