Unlock the Wonders of STEM Learning with O'Reilly for Higher Education

There are thousands of online resources, apps and research tools available to assist your studies or research in STEM subjects, but where do you start, and which resources are reliable?

Dr Danilo Petti, Lecturer in Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science, and Greg Cadge, Academic Liaison Librarian for the Faculty of Science and Health, have been exploring the STEM resources for students and researchers from the University of Essex Library Services collections and give their verdict on their top resource, O'Reilly for Higher Education:

Hello to our fellow knowledge seekers and digital trailblazers!

We are very excited to give our verdict on our number one recommendation for STEM online learning and support! It's as if the digital Library of Alexandria has set up shop right on campus – we're talking about the incredible access you have, thanks to the University of Essex Library Services, to O'Reilly for Higher Education’s vast treasure trove of STEM learning resources!

Picture having a wise friend who knows everything about the STEM world. Someone who can guide you through the intricacies of statistics, unravel the complexities of machine learning, or walk you through coding step by step. Well, O'Reilly is that study buddy you didn't know you needed.

What does O’Reilly offer?

With an extensive collection of over 60,000 titles (including early release books and audiobooks) and 30,000+ hours of video content, the platform caters to diverse learning preferences. Whether you are an avid reader, a keen listener, or a visual learner, O'Reilly has something to offer, ensuring an engaging and personalised learning experience.

Choose from books, audio books, videos, courses, learning paths, case studies and expert playlists. You will benefit from real-time personalised recommendations, customisable playlists, and the ability to take notes within books. Whether you're looking to fill some gaps before exams or gear up to take on the world post-graduation, O'Reilly has something tailor-made for you.

O'Reilly resources give you that extra edge to ensure that when you graduate, you’re primed to shine in the professional world. Because the end of your academic journey is nothing but a new beginning, and we want you to start on the right foot. O'Reilly places a strong emphasis on curated content from top innovators. By offering curated collections and resources tailored for users at all proficiency levels, the platform ensures an enriching and well-guided learning experience. Helping you navigate the complex web of academic exploration and professional development.

With the O'Reilly app, you can download materials for offline access. Cosy up with a Python course during a coffee break or delve into a SQL seminar while jogging in the park – learning has never been so accessible and flexible. And if you dream of becoming the software developers of tomorrow, get ready to dive into a sea of dedicated courses that will take you from "Hello, World!" to creating world-changing applications.

O’Reilly is packed with all sorts of educational resources in areas such as: Medicine, Economics, Psychology, Data Science and Data Engineering, Programming, Machine Learning and AI, Cloud Computing, Design, Business and more.

How we have used O’Reilly for work and study

Have you ever needed to learn something quick for class or for work? I've had to pick up new programming skills fast for my research work and this is where I found O'Reilly to be an amazing online learning platform. It's like a one-stop shop where you can find video courses and tutorials on just about anything you want to learn. The playlists function in O’Reilly was a huge time-saver for me.

What I really love about O'Reilly is how everything is so well organised. It can be really hard and frustrating to find good and well laid out information on the internet. I found that with O'Reilly, everything is sorted into categories and it's super easy to find what you're looking for and then add to your own playlists or follow playlists which have been built by experts.

O'Reilly isn't just about learning theories; it's more about learning things you can actually use. This means you can start using what you learn right away in your projects or work and the knowledge you gain from O’Reilly’s learning platform will help you build real skills that you can use in your studies, research, or work.

I wanted to share this perspective because I think it could help a lot of our students and staff at Essex, not just my students in the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science. Whether you're a student, a professional, or just someone who loves learning, O'Reilly’s STEM resources could be a great tool for you. It makes learning easy and fun and is an awesome way to keep learning and growing in today's fast-moving world.

How do I start using O’Reilly?

If you are ready to broaden your horizons, experiment, and discover new passions in STEM subjects, you can find out more about using O’Reilly in the Library Service’s Guide to O’Reilly.

Or, dive straight in take a look around and log-in via the University of Essex O’Reilly for HE portal.

Or, if you want to get content straight onto your mobile device now, download the O’Reilly app.