The evolution and management
of reading lists: RGU’s experience
Victoria Farmer and Colin
MacLean, RGU
Reading lists and students

Feedback, our experience, and student surveys show
that students are frustrated when reading lists:
 Contain material not available in the library
 Only include print books and nothing else
 List out of date books
 Provide no context or guidance
 Have difficult to access material
 Do not exist for their module

This leads to a poor learning experience for students,
problems for staff, and is detrimental to the student’s
interaction with the library service.
So what did RGU decide to do?

To undertake a pilot to investigate, purchase, and
implement online reading list software which would:
 Provide more dynamic, interactive and relevant lists.
 Give more effective provision of online and print
resources.
 Streamline access to resources.
 Offer the potential for a common and consistent approach
to reading lists.
 Improve communication between academic staff and
library staff regarding resource list content and availability.
Introducing Talis Aspire
 After investigation and a tender process RGU
decided on:
 Its features and benefits would allow us to
work towards the outcomes.
 Other benefits were that the company was
actively developing the product, the support
was good, and the community growing.
What can an Aspire reading list do?
 They allow you to create a list with a full range of
resources e.g. books, journal articles, web pages,
journals, databases, documents, and videos.
What can an Aspire reading list do?
 They link to library material and tell students
immediately about the holdings.
What can an Aspire reading list do?
 They provide easier access to eBooks with
accurate links and the ability to add access notes.
What can an Aspire reading list do?
 They provide easier access to journal articles with
a variety of links, SFX, and access notes.
What can an Aspire reading list do?

Lists can include importance levels and contextual
notes, and can be organised into topics / sections.
What can an Aspire reading list do?
 Where available there are links to Amazon and
to the Google Preview of the book.
What can an Aspire reading list do?
 They can integrate with Moodle.
Implementation of ASPIRE@RGU
 ASPIRE@RGU (http://resourcelists.rgu.ac.uk)
was successfully set up and was launched on
31 May 2011.
 After the first year of use it was decided to
continue to subscribe to Talis Aspire, meaning
we are now in year 2 of the project.
Day to day management of lists
1 - Academic staff send their new / updated lists to
the library
• This can be done via a web form, email, or in person
• They are asked to include details of the module, student
numbers and a “needed by” date
2 - The list is assigned to one of a core team of 5
library staff
• This is done using a rota system
• While creating the list the library checks if we have sufficient
copies and looks for new editions / eBooks / etc
3 - When complete the list is made available
• The list is published, attached to the module and the member
of staff informed
• Academic and library staff communicate throughout the
process as needed
Day to day management of lists

This approach was chosen as:
 It was felt offering to do the work would elicit more lists
 It would allow library staff to review the lists and ensure
accuracy in editions, access information etc.
 Library staff could take on the associated tasks of looking
for online versions, and ensuring the Library had sufficient
/ up to date stock.

Issues that have arisen from this approach:
 Time management especially at key times of year
 Prioritisation of work for library staff
 The need to manage expectations from academic staff
about the time for list creation
 How to manage reviews and updates as list numbers grow
Promotion and raising awareness
 Academic staff were informed about
ASPIRE@RGU in several ways:
 Presentations at appropriate events, committees and
meetings
 General presentations set up with all staff invited to
attend
 A dedicated web page was set up
 Use of the blog, email, twitter etc
 Students find out about ASPIRE@RGU:
 Links in their modules on Moodle
 Advertising via blog posts, emails, twitter etc
 The library web pages
Has it been a success? Number of lists
 On 15th January 2013 there were 325 lists on
ASPIRE@RGU.
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Aberdeen Business School
Faculty of Design and
Technology
Faculty of Health and
Social Care
Other
 Approx 19% of modules have a list attached.
Has it been a success? User comments
What an excellent tool ASPIRE@RGU
is, I find it so useful to have a 'onestop' shop for bookmarks, module
reading lists etc………………………As a
distance learner I think I am going to
find this software/tool very useful.
…………………..I ‘launched’ it at my
introductory lecture this week. A few
hours later, in a follow-up ‘clinic’, a
student came to explain to me and her
fellow students that she found the
resource ‘brilliant’. In particular, she
liked the access to the e-books…………
I really like what you have done with
the list. The section labels are very
helpful, and I think will make it easier
for students to find what they are
looking for.
The new facility is very useful
indeed…….is it possible to compare
usage across different resources made
available i.e. use of e-books compared
with use of videos etc. In this way
ASPIRE might be able help us develop
a more sophisticated appreciation of
different learning styles……..
Has it been a success? Reading lists to
resource lists
 A major benefit we see for ASPIRE@RGU is
the opportunity to expand on what a reading
list can be and create better quality lists.
More use of
online resources
Wider range of
resources
provided
Greater
structure e.g.
sections,
importance
levels, notes
Has it been a success? Wider influence

Changes in the budget for 2012/13
 Now assigned at Faculty rather than school level.
 Split into two areas of spending – orders for resource lists
and orders for general collection/research material.
 This allows increased focus on providing resources on
reading lists.
 And more flexibility when resourcing new courses.

Driving policy
 ASPIRE@RGU also ties in with policies such as library’s
resourcing strategy. The main tenets of this are:
 All reading lists
on ASPIRE@RGU.
 All resources for distance learning students available electronically.
 Early engagement of academic staff with the library prior to the
development of new courses.
Monitoring usage - Google Analytics
 Aspire uses Google Analytics to provide statistics
 Statistics cover areas like:
 Visits
 Unique visitors
 New and returning visitors
 Page views
 Sources i.e. referrals and direct links
 Locations of visitors
 Average time on pages
 Browsers and networks being used
 Can create comparisons between time periods
 Can export statistics to excel
Visitors to the site – 01/06/11 – 15/01/13
 124425 visitors to the site
20000
18000
16000
14000
12000
10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
Visits / New and returning – 01/12/12 – 31/12/12
Location / Referrals – 01/12/12 – 31/12/12
List usage with comparison – 01/12/12 –
31/12/12 (compared to same period 2011)
Top ten lists – 01/06/11 – 15/01/13
Business Environment BSM029
Business strategy BS4104
Learning for Professional Person Centred Care NU1442
Strategies & Approaches to Community Health NU4773
Principles & Concepts of Public Health NU4773
Research Methods PH4014
Poverty Inequalities, Vulnerability & Social Exclusion NU4773
Health Needs Assessment NU4773
Finance For Managers BSM017
Research Methods BS3184
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
Monitoring usage - Dashboard feature

New feature that sits on the lists themselves and
gives users a easy look at list usage.
What next? Review and development
Potential appointment of a manager for the running of
ASPIRE@RGU
 Investigation and use of the acquisitions and review
features
 Involvement of academic staff – potential for library to
create the list and then for academics to update
 Build on the ability to create better quality lists
 Need to embed ASPIRE@RGU in all library workflows
 Monitor and integrate developments of the software
 Engage with the Talis Aspire community

Contacts
 Victoria Farmer
 v.g.farmer@rgu.ac.uk
 01224 263475
 Colin MacLean
 c.maclean@rgu.ac.uk
 01224 263464