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.”