This document summarizes the implementation of the Talis Aspire Reading Lists system at the University of Leicester to improve access to course readings and enhance the student experience. It describes moving from paper-based reading lists stored in various places [0] to a centralized online system [1]. An example case study shows how the Geography department initially had concerns but now embraces the new system, finding it reduces student emails and increases reading [2]. Usage statistics show growing adoption across departments [3]. Ongoing work includes automated purchasing and link checking to further improve the process [4].

1. Zero to Hero: Engaging Academics and
Enhancing the student experience with
readinglists@Leicester
Joanne Dunham
Head of Collections & Information
Systems

2. The Leicester Experience
From Zero….
Where we started from
Implementing
readinglists@Leicester
Case Study:
Department of
Geography
…. To Hero and beyond
Work in progress

3. From Zero …..
• No longer saw Reading Lists unless new
course, module, lecturer
• Module Requirement Forms
• Word Documents, Web pages, printed lists
• No consistency on VLE (Blackboard)

4. Talis Aspire Reading Lists
• Why Talis Aspire?
• Implementation
Kick Off
March
2012
Training,
marketing &
promotion
more lists
Rollout to
academics
Nov 2012
Review
process, Rol
lover
First Lists being
Used
Semester 2
Feb 2013
Academic
Session
2013/14

5. Blackboard Integration
• Blackboard Integration
– Upgrade
– Guidelines & template
– Training

6. Champions
• Champions
– Seed Lists
– Training
– Targets

7. Case Study: Geography
Geography (Human Geography)
Then – initial discussion with Liaison Librarian
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Using Word documents to construct reading lists, putting links but not with prefixes to enable offsite access, indicating where items are available via Leicester eLink (journals A-Z) or as eBooks
Uses a mixture of books, articles, Blackboard scans (digitised chapters/articles) and weblinks on
reading lists
Creating a reading list per lecture currently
Struggles to keep reading lists up-to-date: has ordered items, but not always recently
Feedback from students suggests that they have trouble locating the range of sources
recommended
Feels that it’s more important for students to quickly access and read reading list items than to
spend time finding them
Feels finding materials is part of the dissertation process, rather than day-to-day modules
Noticed students have been asking for reading lists earlier and earlier (e.g. in December last year
for February module) and feels greater access would be a benefit
Interested in open access, so comfortable with lists being openly available
Liked the layout of demonstration reading lists, particularly interested in seeing the back end of the
system (sending video as follow up)
Only major concern was amount of time creating and maintaining lists would require

8. Case Study: Geography
http://readinglists.le.ac.uk/
lists/37C7D3FD-7612-D2102494-260C1947CAA9.html

9. Case Study
NOW – having created reading list for Semester 2 2012/13
“As it happens we had a long debate in the Human Geography research group meeting
last week about whether we would wholly embrace the system or not. There were
some concerns about it, but after we had discussed it at length we have agreed to all
adopt it.”
So I would say:
'We have been trialling the Readinglists@Leicester for a year now and have
recently decided that all human geography teaching will use them. There were
concerns as to whether we might be 'dumbing down' students by giving them 'too easy' clickthrough reading lists, and that that would discourage them from developing their own research
skills. Some staff were also worried about the time it takes to initially establish the list.
However, the feedback from students is that they love the lists for easy access to
readings. We have also found that there has been a dramatic reduction in the number of emails
from students struggling to find readings, we can monitor what they are reading, the library
knows what is in demand, and staff are confident that students have no excuses. It is
considerably easier than Blackboard. From what we can tell in their assessments students
appear to be reading more. In terms of workload the lists have been relatively easy to set up
(lots of is it automated via Amazon etc.), and are easy to edit (easier than finding dated word
documents to update). We will be using them on all our courses for next year.'

10. ……To Hero
• Departmental Uptake – some examples
– Geology
– Physics
– Interdisciplinary Sciences
• Journal clubs
• Supporting supervision
– History of Art
– Criminology
– Education
• Students Union Education Officer
• Careers Service
• Pre-Sessional Information

11. Statistics
Trained 261 academic staff
October 2012
• Visits: 687
• Unique Visitors: 417
• Page Views: 6,047
1st – 17th October 2013
• Visits: 7,176
• Unique visitors: 3,493
• Page Views: 35,362
Growth in Reading lists
31 July 2013: 145
30 August 2013: 176
16 September 2013: 211
24 October 2013: 310

12. Statistics 1/8/13 to 17/10/13
21% of visits over 10 minutes; 7.7% of visits over 30 minutes

13. Statistics: Mon 14th October 2013

14. New Processes
• New Processes
– Reviews and Acquisitions Workflow
• Purchasing formula
• Oasis EDI
– Link Checking and Metadata

15. Reviews & Acquisitions
Purchasing
Formula
Reading List
Sent for Review
List
Reviewed
Digitised
content
Reading List
Linked to Library catalogue
Ebooks added; link
report run
Decision to purchase
Non Oasis
orders
Received
&
Invoiced
View in
Oasis
Fund, loan
status added
Ordered via EDI
Shelf ready
O
R
D
E
R
E
D
LMS
‘quote’

16. The Future
•
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•
TADC
Devolved Constraints
New Blackboard Building Block
Hit our target!