Staffs Uni library task (23/01/13)

As part of my research for the YCN Bacardi brief, I was tasked by my tutor with going to Staffs Uni library to get books and material that will help with background work around the brief.

I was a little uneasy about going to the library on my own for the first time (I've only been once before for a group tour in the first term), and without being set the task of going I have to admit I probably would have just used the colleges own library as it's more convenient and familiar ground. However once at the Uni library it was quite easy to find the books I'd earmarked using the online "Summon" search tool, especially as I'd made sure to note down the collection that those I was looking for were kept in.

Visiting Staffs library made me realise it has a much wider range of books than the college library, especially around graphic design-related subjects, and so I'm confident that I'll utilise the facilities again for future projects and briefs now I know how easy and beneficial it is. I feel having a broader range of information and material at hand leads to more informed work, and can also expose avenues that may otherwise have never been considered. I'd picked several books to get before going to the library, however once there I found others that might also be of use to me and so came away with extra which, as above, can only be a good thing.

When checking which books were available at the library, searching for obvious terms related to the brief like "alcohol advertising" and "alcohol" didn't yield many results, and so I found myself getting books on more general topics like advertising and marketing (examples shown below). Although I'm sure they will come in handy, seeing the material my classmates had gathered for their briefs made me realise that if I broaden my search terms (for instance, "food and drink" rather than just "alcohol") I'll have more information to go at which will still be of use.

In summary, the visit was very useful as an introduction to the library, and I plan to return in the near future to look for more, broader research material.

Books from left to right:
- Social Communication in Advertising (2005, Leiss, W. et al, Third Edition)
- The Advertising Concept Book (2008, Barry, P.)
- Packaging Design (2006, Klimchuk, M. & Krasovec, S.)