NU Library Newsletter
Spring Semester:
March 2026
We are pleased to present the April 2026 edition of our Library Newsletter. This issue features the latest updates, essential services, and a carefully selected range of tools and resources to support your studies, coursework, and research.
A Tribute to Artificial Intelligence Month
Stress Relief Week as a part of NU Library efforts to fulfill Sustainable Development Goals
Many of the activities during Stress Relief Week align with several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to well-being, education, and sustainable communities.
1. Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well‑Being
This is the primary goal supported by Stress Relief Week.
Activities such as drawing, painting, handicrafts, table games, and relaxing creative workshops help reduce stress, improve mood, and support students’ mental health during the demanding end-of-semester period.
2. Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education
By creating a supportive environment for students’ well-being, the library contributes to improved learning outcomes. Activities such as book exhibitions and creative workshops encourage lifelong learning, creativity, and intellectual engagement beyond the classroom.
3. Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
Events that bring students together in a safe and supportive campus space help strengthen a sense of community, inclusiveness, and social connection, important elements of sustainable and resilient communities.
A gentle reminder that, since 2016, the NU Library has hosted Stress Relief Week each semester. Our next campaign is just around the corner, taking place on April 21–24, and will also feature a special 10-year anniversary celebration. Stay tuned and keep an eye on our library calendar!
Book Exhibition "Artificial Intelligence: Shaping Tomorrow"
Explore the world of artificial intelligence through our new exhibition, where innovation meets everyday life. Discover key concepts, real-world applications, and thought-provoking questions about how AI is transforming research, education, and society. Whether you’re new to the topic or already curious about its impact, this exhibition offers insights into the technology shaping our future.

Photo by Jacob
Photo by Kolya
Photo by Lea
Photo by Oliver
Photo by Leo
Photo by Fabrice
Photo by Paul
Photo by Adam
Photo by Alex
Library Interviews
Now, let’s explore the inspiring sustainability initiatives and experiences shared by members of the NU community.

In this section, Zhuldyz Orazymbetova, Head of the Patron Services Office at NU Library, and representatives of SDSN Youth Kazakhstan share their reflections and insights on their engagement with sustainable development.

Have you recently read a book you’d like others to discover? Submit a short book review for a chance to be featured in an upcoming issue of the Library Newsletter.

Send your review to library@nu.edu.kz (subject: Book Review for the Library Newsletter).
“Working with handmade clothing not only helps me relax and give garments a second life, but also brings a quiet sense of fulfillment in knowing it contributes to a more sustainable world.”
Zhuldyz Orazymbetova
Head, Patron Services Office, Library

A Conversation with Zhuldyz Orazymbetova

Leading Research & Professional Organizations
Leading research and professional organizations in artificial intelligence play a central role in advancing the field by supporting high-quality research, fostering collaboration, and setting academic and ethical standards. Institutions such as Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, Association for Computing Machinery, and IEEE bring together scholars, practitioners, and industry experts through conferences, publications, and professional networks, helping to shape the development and responsible use of AI worldwide.
Founded in 1979, AAAI is a leading international organization dedicated to advancing the understanding of artificial intelligence. It supports research through prestigious conferences (such as the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence), publications, and educational initiatives, while also promoting collaboration between academia and industry.
Read more
As one of the world’s largest computing societies, ACM plays a key role in AI through its Special Interest Group on Artificial Intelligence (SIGAI). It publishes influential journals, organizes conferences, and provides access to the ACM Digital Library, an essential resource for researchers and students in AI and related fields.
Read more
A global leader in developing technical standards and advancing innovation in engineering and technology, including artificial intelligence. Through initiatives like IEEE AI and the IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems, it promotes responsible AI development, supports research, and fosters international collaboration across disciplines.
Read more
Library Workshops & Consultations
The library regularly hosts open sessions on artificial intelligence, offering practical guidance on how to integrate AI into academic work. These sessions cover a range of topics, including tools for research and literature mapping such as Connected Papers, ResearchRabbit, and LitMaps, AI Powered Research, and others. Open to all, these sessions provide a supportive space to explore emerging technologies and enhance research skills.
Book a seat in libcal.
Can’t make it to the library today? Ask our virtual librarian on duty, NURIA, book a virtual appointment. Or just stop by our offices # 322, #324 Main Library to talk to Darya, Venera, and Diana, Lazzat and Ainash. Aigerim is at NU SoM (Floor 7, office #702).
Join us for an open library session on Publishing Articles: AI Policies and Acceptance, where we will explore how major publishers approach the use of AI in academic writing and what guidelines authors should follow. The session will cover publishers’ AI policies, responsible use of AI tools in research, and best practices for maintaining originality and integrity in manuscripts.
Register here
You are invited to an interactive session on AI-powered tools for literature analysis, featuring NotebookLM and QuillBot. Participants will engage in hands-on activities to analyze texts, compare AI-generated summaries, and refine literature reviews, while also discussing ethical aspects of responsible AI use.
Register here
The session introduces participants to AI-powered tools for mapping, visualizing, and analyzing the research landscape. It explores how platforms such as Connected Papers, Research Rabbit, and LitMaps use citation networks and semantic analysis to identify trends, influential works, and knowledge gaps.
By the end of the session, participants will be able to critically choose the most suitable tool for their research needs, contributing to a more AI-literate community at NU.
Register here
Upcoming Events
As March comes to an end, we warmly invite you to join a series of events designed to celebrate and nurture a passion for reading.
The NU Library invites you to the presentation of “Woven Heritage: Central Asian Textiles” (HALI, 2025) by Snezhana Atanova and Tereza Hejzlarová.
Register here
Join us for an inspiring discussion dedicated to The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, a timeless novel about dreams, courage, and the journey of following one’s personal legend.
Register here
Do you enjoy the intriguing mysteries
of Agatha Christie? Join us for a discussion dedicated to one of the most beloved mystery writers of all time.
Register here
Join us for an open library session on Publishing Articles: AI Policies and Acceptance, where we will explore how major publishers approach the use of AI in academic writing and what guidelines authors should follow. The session will cover publishers’ AI policies, responsible use of AI tools in research, and best practices for maintaining originality and integrity in manuscripts.
Register here
This session provides an overview of how to identify appropriate and trustworthy journals for publishing research. Participants will learn how to search for journals and articles, understand publishing models, and evaluate journal credibility using key metrics and selection tools.
Register here
Gain valuable insights into research performance and benchmarking with this SciVal overview webinar. Designed for academics, research managers, and librarians, the session introduces SciVal’s data sources, analytical tools, and workflows to support strategic decision-making and research evaluation.
Register here
Recent Events
The NU Library organized a series of engaging events centered on book presentations, literature, and publisher sessions continuing its commitment to supporting the NU community.
Book Discussion: "The Alchemist"by Paulo Coelho
An inspiring discussion was held on The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, a timeless novel exploring dreams, courage, and the pursuit of one’s personal legend. Members of the NU community reflected on Santiago’s journey and discussed themes of destiny, purpose, and self-discovery.
The session created a welcoming space for participants to exchange ideas, share personal insights, and engage in thoughtful conversation about the book.
Book Presentation: Traditions and Values of Kazakhs in the XXI Century
The NU Library organized a book presentation of “Traditions and Values of Kazakhs in the XXI Century,” an insightful work examining how Kazakh identity has evolved in the modern era. The event featured contributions from leading scholars, offering perspectives on the social, cultural, and historical changes that have shaped Kazakhstan throughout its years of independence. Attendees explored new interpretations of tradition, identity, and contemporary society through the research of Nazarbayev University academics.
Book Presentation: Pushkin's Heroines and the Life-Art Connection: Freedom in a Female Frame
The NU Library hosted a presentation of “Pushkin’s Heroines and the Life-Art Connection: Freedom in a Female Frame” by Amanda F. Murphy, offering a fresh perspective on Alexander Pushkin’s works. The discussion highlighted the evolution of his female characters - from Eugene Onegin to The Captain's Daughter - and their role in exploring themes of gender, identity, and artistic freedom.
Book Discussion: Agatha Christie, The Queen of Mystery
We invited participants to a lively book discussion dedicated to Agatha Christie, one of the most celebrated authors in detective fiction. During the event, attendees explored her captivating stories, unexpected plot twists, and memorable—often eccentric—characters, sharing insights and favorite moments from her works.
An online training session on O’Reilly for Higher Education was held to support teaching, learning, and research through access to high-quality digital content.
The session introduced the platform and demonstrated how to navigate its extensive collection of technical eBooks, videos, courses, and curated learning paths. Participants gained practical insights into using O’Reilly for skill development, certification preparation, and enhancing their academic and professional work.
View the recording
A training session on ProQuest Ebook Central with the Academic Complete collection was conducted to support faculty, students, and library staff in effectively using a comprehensive eBook resource.
Participants were introduced to the platform’s key features and learned how to search, access, and download eBooks efficiently. The session also covered tools for annotation, citation, and integrating eBooks into teaching and research.
View the recording
Literature Search and Review with Scopus & ScienceDirect
A practical webinar on Scopus and ScienceDirect by Elsevier was held to help participants navigate these platforms more effectively. The session covered key features, strategies for literature searching, the use of keywords, exploration of citation networks, and evaluation of research sources, supporting stronger research and publishing practices.
SciVal for Researchers: Navigating Trends and Topics
A webinar on SciVal by Elsevier was held to provide valuable insights into research performance and benchmarking. Designed for academics, research managers, and librarians, the session introduced SciVal’s data sources, analytical tools, and workflows for informed decision-making and research evaluation.
Participants explored the differences between Scopus and SciVal, learned about Topics of Prominence and global relevance, and gained practical guidance on identifying research topics, finding collaborators and journals, and supporting strategic research planning.
Research & Academic Support
Research Support
The NU Library continues to provide personalized, one-to-one research support to help you succeed academically, whether you’re planning your thesis or an article for publication. Our librarians are here to support you in publishing, managing, and preserving your research outputs.

Visit the Main Library (Floor 3, Block 5e, Office 323) to meet our Research Support librarians, or contact us at library@nu.edu.kz.

Prefer online support? Book a virtual appointment, or explore our 24/7 LibGuides to navigate resources anytime, anywhere.

Your research success is our priority. Don’t hesitate to reach out!
AI Tools for Literature Reviews
Below are some of the suggested AI-tools that allows generative AI to ingest information from reliable sources of information to create contextually relevant, timely, and more accurate responses. Check out more information via this LibGuide.
Consensus
An AI-powered research engine that helps you quickly search, screen, extract, and synthesize evidence from scientific literature, turning what would take weeks into hours by organizing findings and supporting evidence in a structured way. It’s designed to speed up the early stages of a literature review while maintaining scholarly transparency and rigor.
SciSpace
An AI research assistant that helps you find, understand, and analyze academic papers by offering features like semantic search, Chat-with-PDF, explanations of complex content, and tools for summarizing and organizing literature. It streamlines literature discovery and comprehension, though users should still fact-check AI-generated summaries carefully.
Undermind.ai
An AI research assistant that conducts deep, adaptive literature searches by reading and evaluating hundreds or thousands of papers, following citation trails, and generating relevance-scored insights, acting like an expert colleague doing research for you. It’s especially useful for exploring complex or niche research areas, though it may take longer to produce results compared with simpler tools.
AI in Publishing: Let’s Learn Together
As generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini become more common in research, major publishers are setting new rules so that work remains honest and transparent.
What Are We Learning About Publisher Rules?
Most major publishers, including ACM, Elsevier, Springer Nature, and Taylor & Francis, have now released clear "rules of the road" for using AI in your work:

  • Humans are the Only Authors: AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors. This is because authorship requires legal and ethical accountability, which a machine cannot provide.
  • Transparency is Key: If you use AI to help write, code, or analyze data, you must disclose it. Usually, this is done in the Acknowledgments or Methods section.
  • You Are Responsible: Even if an AI tool makes a mistake or "hallucinates" a fake citation, you, the human author, are fully accountable for the accuracy and integrity of the final paper.
  • Image Restrictions: Many publishers, such as Springer Nature and Elsevier, currently prohibit using AI to create or change research images and figures.
Privacy Matters: Be careful about what you "chat" with AI. Most tools use your inputs to train their models, which could put your unpublished research or private data at risk.
How Can We Support You?
As we all navigate these new technologies, the library research support staff is here to act as a partner in your research journey. While we are learning about these tools just like you, we can assist by:

  • Exploring Policies Together: If you are unsure about a specific journal's stance (such as MDPI's transparency requirements or Sage's disclosure templates), we can help you find and look through their latest guidelines.
  • Sharing Disclosure Examples: We are collecting examples of how other researchers are wording their AI declarations so you don't have to start from scratch when drafting your own.
  • Staying Updated on Ethics: We are following updates from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and other industry leaders. We can point you toward their newest resources on the ethical use of AI.
  • Finding Reliable Resources: As we discover new guides or tools for checking AI accuracy and data privacy, we will share those findings with the community to help everyone publish with confidence.

Have a question or want to share what you've learned? Contact library@nu.edu.kz. We are here to help you find the right information as we all adapt to this evolving landscape.
NU’s Open Access Publishing Agreements
We are pleased to announce important updates regarding our Open Access publishing agreementsю Please feel free to contact research support librarians if you have further questions through email lrso@nu.edu.kz
Cambridge University Press (CUP)

A new 2026 Open Access Transformative Agreement has been signed with CUP. This agreement ensures that NU authors can continue publishing their work in CUP journals with Open Access benefits, supporting wider dissemination and visibility of research outputs. Learn more in our libguide about OA Publishing Agreement with CUP: https://nu.kz.libguides.com/cup.
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

We are entering the final year of our current Transformative Agreement with ACM. Authors publishing in ACM journals and conference proceedings will continue to benefit from Open Access coverage under this agreement throughout 2026. Detailed instructions are available in our libguide about OA Publishing Agreement with ACM: https://nu.kz.libguides.com/acm
Explore Our A–Z Databases: Discover New and Trial Resources
Explore and discover a wide range of resources through our A–Z Database list. Stay up to date with newly added titles and take advantage of our trial databases, offering temporary access to valuable content across various disciplines. Don’t miss this excellent opportunity to expand your research, explore new tools, and enhance your academic work.
Service Update & Policy Reminder
Library Hours During the Nauryz Holiday
Please be informed that the Main Library and NUSOM Library will be closed, and all library services will be unavailable on March 21-23, 2026, in observance of the Nauryz holiday.
On Tuesday, March 24, and Wednesday, March 25, 2026, the libraries will operate with adjusted hours:
  • Main Library: 8:30am – 7:45pm
  • NUSOM Library: 8:30am – 5:30pm
The detailed schedule is available here: Library Hours.
Please note that 24/7 study spaces will remain open.
Wishing you a happy holiday!
Authors of this edition
Let's acknowledge the contributors who made this newsletter possible.
  • Dina Baiseit
    Manager,
    Patron Services Office
  • Madina Abdykaimova
    Senior Manager,
    Patron Services Office
  • Diana Baidollinova
    Teaching and Learning Librarian,
    Teaching and Learning Support Office
  • Lazzat Arystanova
    Senior Manager,
    Research Support Office
  • Zhuldyz Orazymbetova
    Head,
    Patron Services Office
  • Darya Zvonareva
    Head,
    Teaching and Learning Support Office