Skills at Library workshops are a great opportunity to practice information skills, learn alongside your peers, and get instructor feedback. Our 8 core workshops are offered regularly online and in person, and will take you through the basics of using the Library and on to more advanced information literacy skills needed for academic study and research. They are offered as part of the Academic Skills programme available to current Essex students via CareerHub. Workshops for PGRs and Early Career Researchers can be found on our Newcomers page.
Our workshops that support your academic integrity cover topics such as avoiding plagiarism, ethical use of AI, how to reference, reading Turnitin reports and evaluating sources. We run workshops regularly as part of our focus weeks, and we also offer a Library Cafe drop-in every Wednesday in the Library, where you can come and ask all your questions if you can't make a workshop you'd like to attend.
If you want the latest information about our workshops delivered straight to your inbox, you can sign up to our monthly Workshops At Library Newsletter here.
1:1 appointments are a great space to ask your individualised questions from our expert librarians and skills tutors, who can help you avoid committing an academic offence and ensure you are following best practice in your work.
You can book an appointment with an experienced member of library staff if you would like support with:
Alternatively, you can book a 1:1 with an academic skills tutor from Skills for Success, who can help you with:
Both services are available online around the year, including holiday periods. Library 1:1 appointments are also available in-person at our Colchester and Southend campuses.
The Skills at Library Café Hour is a great opportunity to practice information skills, learn alongside peers, and get instructor feedback. Our team can support you with the key areas listed below, and direct you to further academic skills support available at Essex. We offer this support as a weekly drop-in on Wednesday afternoons (during term time) in the Albert Sloman Library, Colchester Campus. (Online support is offered as 1:1 appointment.)
Café Hour takes place in a shared study space so students can ask questions, complete a Skills at Library activity, or work independently on coursework/assignments. Each week we highlight a different academic skill and provide optional exercises, so even if you don't have a burning question, you can still come along!
Subject Guides are online resources designed to help you explore your subject area and start your research.
You can contact the library in multiple ways:
