Skills at Library home

Unlocking information

Unlock articles & research

★★☆ intermediate

Sometimes there are barriers to accessing information. You might be asked to pay to read the full text of an article, or find a particular online reading platform difficult to use because of the way text displays on your screen. Fortunately, there are usually ways around these barriers. This page will give you the keys for unlocking information so that you can access the full text and view the content in a format that suits your learning style.

This section covers:

• Accessing Library digital texts & resources
• Using digital reading features & tools
• Finding the full text for sources found outside the Library
• Adapting digital texts to improve your learning experience
  

Click to expand presentation: Unlocking your digital readings

Already confident in reading digital texts? Start the next section on unlocking the full text of articles and research or return to the Skills at Library homepage to select another lesson.

Here's some quick links to help you develop information skills:

• Remember, all the resources available through the library search are free for you to use - the library has already paid for them.
• Use the specially designed reading list to explore digital reading platforms
• You will find details about assistive technologies to help make your readings more accessible on the accessibility page of the Library website. 

Unlocking digital readings is an intermediate information literacy skill. You will need confidence in using Library resources such as your reading list, and digital skills. Continue learning with Skills at Library to develop advanced skills.

Want to learn more?

• Keep a look out for our 'Accessing digital readings & sources' workshop. This session is offered regularly online and in person as part of the Skills at Library open workshop programme, and will give you an opportunity to practice skills, learn alongside your peers, and get instructor feedback.
• If you haven't already, complete our Academic Skills Audit to assess your current information and academic skills and discover resources to support your development.
• Register for our 'Information Skills' course on Moodle to access additional learning exercises and discussions.
• Use the digital readings reading list to explore online reading platforms.
• Check out the support from Skills for Success to improve your academic reading skills, including the Reading & Research course on Moodle.
• Explore the digital skills support available at Essex.
• Find out more about ebook platforms on the Library's Help with e-book features guide.
• Explore the Digital reading section of the Skills@Essex Moodle course.
• Click the 'Next' button below to continue learning about how to unlock information found outside the Library's resources.

To get started with navigating a reading list, why not check out Making the most of your digital reading  below?

Except where otherwise noted, this work by University of Essex Library and Cultural Services is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.