1. !
University!of!Kent!Reading!Lists:!
!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!The! user!perspective
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The!user! perspective

2. !
What!the!service!looks!like
• University!of!Kent!branded
• Integration!with!VLE!(Moodle)!very!important!to!us
• What!does!it!look!like!for!the!average!Kent!student?
• Access!via!Moodle!or!library!pages
• Is!it!seen!as!library!or!University?
• What!does!it!look!like!for!academic!staff?
• Staff!log!in,!edit!and!use!readinglists@kent!facilities
!
!

3. !
Training! !!!
Training!!!!
• Training
• Regular!scheduled!training,!open!to!all!staff
• Drop!in!sessions!in!ALS!offices
• School!specific!sessions!arranged!as!required
• Individual!sessions!by!arrangement
• All!hands!on,!working!on!real!lists
• New!staff!sent!welcome!message!from!ALS
• Explains!library!systems!and!procedures
• Offers!help!using!the!reading!list!system
• Temporary!or!admin!staff!invited!to!work!in!the!ALS
office!until!they!are!confident!using!the!system

4. !
Support
• Dedicated!email!for!help
• Extensive!online!help
• Printed!guide
• Blog!during!original!implementation
• Champion!for!user!based!issues
!
!

5. !
Implementation
Varies!between!faculties
• Humanities
• Dean!very!supportive
• Faculty!wide!instructions!and!deadlines
• Academics!to!maintain!their!own!lists
• Social!Sciences
• Support!from!Dean
• Faculty!wide!model
• Temporary!and!admin!staff!to!establish!lists
• Academics!to!make!only!minor!adjustments
• Sciences
• Academics!to!maintain!their!own!lists
• Taken!up!by!some!Schools
• Current!initiative!to!promote!in!others!via!SAM!and!library!reps
!

6. !
Staff!Perspective
• Representative!present
• Other!staff!perspectives:
“It!has!recently!been!agreed!at!Faculty!Learning!and!Teaching!that:
i. all!new!modules!processed!during!Autumn!2012!should!have!reading!lists!readied!by
the!end!of!January!for!2013I2014
ii. all!modules!to!be!taught!next!year!should!have!readings!lists!readied!by!May.!I!realize
that!2013I2014!seems!a!long!way!off.!!But,!if!we!get!lists!readied!earlier!it!helps!the
Library!plan!for!new!books!(and!other!materials),!and!thus!helps!to!ensure!that!we!and
our!students!have!everything!we!need.”!
“The!Panel!found!that!the!School!used!the!Talis!Aspire!system!to!communicate
text!needs!to!the!library!and!that!this!worked!well.”
!

7. !
Issues
• Intellectual!property
• Distinction!between!the!VLE!and!the!reading!list
system
§ What!should!be!used!for!what?
§ ALS!drive!to!emphasise!that!the!reading!list!system
includes!the!library
!

8. !
Student!Perspectives “It’s!great!because!you!can
easily!find!relevant!books!on
your!modules!and!even!save
“The!reading!lists things!to!your!own!space!for
system!is!efficient, when!you!need!them.”
accurate!and!very !
accessible”
“The!reading!list!system!gives
the!most!apt!books!and!an!easy
way!to!find!them!–!and!does!it!in
sync!with!the!library.!It’s
awesome.”
Positive!Politics!and!IR!student!views!expressed!at!a
School!meeting!led!to!immediate!take:up!of!the
reading!lists!system.
§ At!the!same!meeting!a!process!was!decided!which!kept
both!staff!and!students!happy
§ This!solution!is!now!used!by!all!Social!Science!Schools

9. !
Evolving!use!and!profile
Readinglists@kent!visitors!5
Sept!1,!2012!to!Jan!31,!2013
• Peak!around!the!beginning!of!term
• Steady!increase!in!use!until!Christmas!vacation
• Large!numbers!of!returning!visitors!(53%)
• Significant!proportion!of!visits!by!users!with
mobile!devices

10. !
Evolving!use!and!profile!II
• Kent!Business!School
§ Worry!at!out!of!date!lists!visible
on!web
§ Resulting!in!concentrated!effort
to!update!all!lists
• Longer!term!strategy
§ Roll!out!to!Medway
• Already!interest!in!the!Business
School
§ Ensuring!that!Deans!remain
supportive!and!lists!remain
current