Aspire Reading Lists
Monash University
University library aspires to
outstanding teaching and learning
outcomes
The search for a solution
Monash University chooses Talis Aspire Reading
Lists to modernise, streamline and automate the
process of providing electronic reading lists to
students
• improve the efficiency of the RRS
!
Introduction
Monash University is an Australian university
established in Melbourne, Victoria in 1958. It has
since grown to encompass eight campuses and
approximately 63,000 students across a broad
range of courses from business, arts, law,
humanities and education to science, medicine, IT
and engineering.
!
The University’s Library operated a highly-utilised
Readings and Reserve Service (RRS) that enabled
students and faculty to access and review scholarly
resources. Known as a leader in its field, the RRS
had grown steadily over the years and become
resource intensive. A new solution was required
according to Monash University Library’s Director
Client Services Science Health and Engineering,
Wilna Macmillan.
!
“The existing functionality was working well but
was hindered by its complexity and an overreliance on manual processes as well as a variety of
software and systems,” Wilna said.
“We believed the process could be streamlined and
that new technologies would help facilitate this.”
The Library identified a number of key objectives as
part of its 2008-2010 plan, including the need to:
!
• establish an improved electronic reading list
management model
• evaluate and recommend technology
improvements to support electronic reading lists
• evaluate and improve ordering processes to
support the RRS.
!
A Readings and Reserve Review project team was
formed and began investigating potential solutions.
!
“The Readings and Reserve Review project team
was tasked with developing or identifying open
source or commercial systems and technology to
underpin the workflow. The Project Team
recommended that an externally-developed system
should be considered,” Wilna said.
!
“The Technology Framework working group from
the project did a competitor analysis, a literature
review and an environmental scan of options and
was asked to evaluate and recommend an
electronic readings management system.”
!
The team investigated four commercial and two
open source products, ranging from content
management systems to modules within library
management systems and stand-alone open
source products.
To be chosen, the solution needed to offer
interoperability with the existing library and
university systems, including learning management
systems. It would need to reduce repetitive tasks,
manage copyright and be flexible in terms of
format and reading list style. It should also have
the potential to allow academics to contribute
directly to creating their reading lists.
!
“The process was iterative and intensive,” Wilna
said.
“The open source products were installed on our
server and tested in house while the commercial
products were demonstrated online. We went
through many months of ongoing conversations
with vendors before making the final decision.”
!
Early adopters of Talis Aspire
Reading Lists
The Library chose Talis Aspire Reading Lists,
provided by Talis.
!
“We chose Talis Aspire because it met more of the
identified requirements than any of the others and
it had a development plan that aligned with
Monash’s aspirations, including opportunities for
academics to create or modify their own lists while
still providing options for copyright checking,” Wilna
said.
!
“Talis was very responsive to questions and
developing enhancements.
!
“We knew that we were early adopters of Talis
Aspire in Asia Pacific and Australia, so we knew that
this could add a layer of complexity. We wanted a
system that had the potential to develop with us
and I think we’ve got that in Talis Aspire.”
The implementation of Talis Aspire has been a
collaborative approach, with the Library identifying
essential additional functionality and Talis working
to deliver accordingly.
!
“We appreciated the responsiveness and
persistence of Talis as we worked through the
complexities. It was good to work with a company
that concentrates on seeking solutions and has a
positive approach to customers,” Wilna said.
!
“Talis visited on a number of occasions to provide
workshops and engage with staff to better
understand our workflows and requirements. They
have also been very cooperative in dealing with
issues that involve other vendors and local IT staff
to resolve issues. We had regular meetings with
Talis to ensure that the issues were managed and
resolved in a timely manner.”
!
Outstanding teaching and learning
outcomes
Monash University has seen a number of benefits
since implementing Talis Aspire Reading Lists,
including benefits for academics, library staff and
students.
!
“We planned to offer academics the option of
creating or modifying their lists if they wished, with
the library still providing copyright management.
We have been slower to implement this than we’d
planned because the initial implementation was
done prior to semester one in 2012, in a very short
timeframe and with unanticipated staff changes,
but we anticipate putting it in place this year,”
Wilna said.
!
“We have been able to link to the reading lists from
Moodle, and we look forward to integrating them
into the unit’s weekly Moodle space, within the
student work area rather than as a link.”
!
Linking to the articles in some of the key databases
required manual intervention because the
metadata did not migrate to the bookmark.
!
“Talis worked hard to overcome this, with some
success. Where access to the databases and
journals is automated, creating a reading list is
simpler and quicker and this has been a key factor
for staff,” Wilna said.
“Analytics will be extremely valuable for library
staff. This information has already provided a basis
for communication with academics regarding
curriculum, how students are engaging with the
unit and possibilities for improvement.
“The benefit of having software that is developed
more broadly than the previous in house system is
significant for library staff, academics and students
because the potential for development is greater
and informed by a broader user group.
“Students appreciate the flexibility of making notes
within the system and we anticipate there will be
further opportunities for interaction between
students as we implement academic access.”
The Library anticipates seeing even more benefits
as the Talis Aspire solution becomes more broadlyused throughout the University and as the solution
itself continues to mature.
Find Out More. talis.com
info@talis.com
@talis
!
“Talis has been positive, co-operative and very open
to ideas and suggestions. Aware of the close
working relationship Talis develops with its
customers, we did not anticipate that all
functionality would be available at our initial
implementation. They have encouraged us to speak
with other Aspire users from whom we have
learned and benefitted,” Wilna said.
“Overall our experience with Talis has been
extremely positive and we are convinced that Talis
Aspire Reading Lists is the right solution for a
university like Monash, which prides itself on
providing outstanding teaching and learning
environments and outcomes.”