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Reading lists: a guide for academics: Reviewing and publishing lists

Key reading list principles

  1. We prioritise e-content (e-books and if not available for purchase, scanned chapters) to give students the best possible experience.
  2. Items should be assigned an importance label.
    • Essential reading = the core text that all students are expected to use. These must be available electronically to satisfy student access needs.
    • Recommended and Optional = additional reading, with most items in a long list labelled Optional, and anything you want to highlight as particularly important labelled Recommended.
  3. Lists should be kept up to date.
  4. Lists should be short and divided into sections so they are easy to use (e.g. ~20 items max, or ~5 in weekly readings).
  5. Talis Aspire should be used to create and access reading lists. This is available from the Reading List tab in each unit in Brightspace.

Reviewing and publishing lists (video)


  • When changes have been made to a list, those changes will be saved automatically in draft form. They will not be visible to students until it's been published.
  • If new items have been added to the list it's important that the list be sent to review by the library before being published. This is so the library can check we have sufficient copies of books and to make sure that any links (e.g. to journal articles) have the correct suffix added to the URL to authenticate off-campus access. The library will publish the list after the review is complete.
  • If only minor changes have been made (for example adding a student note to a resource) then the list can be published straight away without the need to send to the library for review.

 

Reviewing and publishing lists (step-by-step instructions)

When new items have been added to a list it's important to request a library review.

  • This is so library staff can check we have copies in stock or have sufficient copies.
  • E-resources also have to be checked to ensure the correct suffix is added to the URL for seamless off-campus access.

The library will publish the list for students to access once the review is complete.

To request a review, click on 'Edit' and then 'Request review'.

Publish list

  • If the list was sent to review, the library will publish when the review is complete.
  • If only minor changes have been made (for example adding a student note to a resource) then the list can be published straight away without the need to send to the library for review. Click the 'Publish' button to make any changes you made visible to students.