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Need to find your reading list, then try Explore !

By Pamela Clarke, on 29 November 2023

Using the Explore catalogue to find reading lists

Using the Explore catalogue to find reading lists

Teaching and Learning services (TLS) are regularly making reading list information available via the Explore catalogue. This means you can search the catalogue by module code and/or module title for your favourite reading list !

Only published reading lists or lists with unpublished changes (not blank lists) will be made available on a monthly basis.

To help you find your lists, here is a short video that shows you how you can filter to reading lists via the Explore catalogue.

Don’t worry you can still find lists at the usual home page for reading lists or via your Moodle course.

If you have any problems accessing reading lists via Explore, please do not hesitate to contact – readinglists@ucl.ac.uk

 

 

Exam Papers !

By Pamela Clarke, on 28 November 2023

It is that time of the year to submit this summer’s past exam papers !

Image of student studying and Portico

If you would like to submit past exam papers to Teaching and Learning Services (TLS) here’s how to do it !

First method

Download a local copy of the metadata sheet, and add a line of metadata for each exam paper you are submitting, and then email the PDFs together with the completed metadata sheet to readinglists@ucl.ac.uk. There is an example line at the top of the metadata sheet. Feel free to delete this before proceeding.

Second method

Download a local copy of the metadata sheet and add a line of metadata for each exam paper you are submitting. Then upload the PDFs of the exam papers, together with the completed metadata sheet to the ‘Exam Papers Submission’ sharepoint folder‘.

Within the sharepoint folder, create a departmental folder containing your PDFs (e.g. ‘Anthropology 2023) and metadata sheet. TLS will get an automatic alert and will process the papers in due course. There is an example line at the top of the metadata sheet. Feel free to delete this before proceeding.

Please note: You may need to click on “skip verification” if you are off-site to access the metadata sheet.

Which method to use

It does not matter which method you use, but method 2, using the Sharepoint folder is best for larger submissions, which may exceed the maximum size for an email.

In both cases a metadata sheet needs to be completed and submitted along with the exam papers. This is to ensure that each paper has the correct metadata when uploaded to the Explore library catalogue. Please ensure you make clear which line in the metadata sheet relates to which exam paper being submitted, and that you adhere to consistent naming between the PDFs and the metadata.

Once you have submitted your paper(s) using one of the above methods, TLS will contact you to let you know once the process is complete, and your papers will be available on Explore and Digital Collections

Please see our webpages for further information – https://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/digital-collections/collections/exam, and FAQS.

Please note that we have a rolling three or five  year collection of past exam papers depending on departmental needs. However we are now currently in the process of removing any papers prior to 2019, so if you want up-to-date papers to be made available, get submitting now !! 

If you have any queries at all about the process, please don’t hesitate to email readinglists@ucl.ac.uk.

Moodle 4 Upgrade Summer 2023 !

By Pamela Clarke, on 13 October 2023

No doubt you have read the updates, blogs and twitter, Yes Moodle has changed !

Moodle 4 is a revamped user interface and experience, and we are assured that it provides a more modern and significantly cleaner user experience for the user, with updated technology, design, navigation and layout.

What does this mean for reading lists you may ask yourself ?   Luckily nothing too significant, although the layout for the Library Resources block, and the embedding (LTI) tool is slightly different on the new upgrade.

The familiar Library Resources block is hidden in a drawer ! To reveal the block, open the drawer. We have further instructions on our Teaching and Learning webpages  that explain how to add the block (if not already added), and how to configure the block. 

The popular embedding tool has now been updated to LTI.1.3 and is available from the  “Add an activity or resource” palette.

Full details of how to use both the Library Resources block and the embed tool are available from our Teaching and Learning webpages, and videos will also soon be available.

For more information on the upgrade and training available please see an earlier blog from the the Digital Education Team. 

There is also further information on the UCL Moodle staff guide

If you experience any problems using the above features,  please do not hesitate to contact  readinglists@ucl.ac.uk

 

Rollover complete!

By Pamela Clarke, on 18 July 2023

The rollover is complete! All your 2022-23 reading lists have been archived and a copy created for 2023-24, which you can edit straight away.

  • If modules are not running this year, please let us know so we can archive the list. This hides it from view to avoid confusion and also saves it for future re-use.
  • To set up new lists get in touchor see our Getting Started

 

Over the summer you can prepare your reading lists for the new academic year: you just need to review, edit and publish!

“Books HD” by Abee5 is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Do my digitised readings also roll forward?

When your new list is created, the digitised readings (digitised under the CLA licence and added to your list by the TLS team) also copy forward.  There is a separate, behind-the-scenes process in July/August where the readings are re-checked automatically for the coming year. If your module is not running let us know so we can archive the digitised readings, ready for another year.

If any digitised readings were not digitised under the CLA licence, but instead had direct copyright permission granted then the links to these readings will temporarily break.  TLS need to re-request copyright permission for the coming year and re-instate the links to the digital reading.  This is a task that TLS does annually and they will be in touch if your readings are affected.

 

What if I or my students need access to the 22/23 version of the list?

If you ever need to refer back to your 2022/23 list for any reason please let us know. We can recover it from the archive if necessary.

 

Request Review

Please do request a review of your reading list once you have updated your list for the next academic period. Please drop us a line for more details.

Where can I find further support?

General advice and guidance on reading lists can be found on the ReadingLists@UCL Libguide.

If you have any questions about the rollover process, or have any questions on anything to do with reading lists at UCL, please drop us a line.

We also offer informal in-person sessions (either over Teams or in person), where you can refresh your knowledge of any aspect of ReadingLists@UCL with an expert member of the TLS team. Interested? Send us an email and we’ll arrange a session.

If you want to set up a new reading list please complete this webform and we’ll set it up for you.

 

Accessing your old reading list

By Pamela Clarke, on 28 June 2023

Each year, the online reading lists for all modules rollover so that a new version for the next academic year can be made available.

The reading list rollover on the evening of the 13th July means that the 2022-23 reading lists will archive.  From 14th July the lists available to view will be the new lists for academic year 2023-24;  these are available to update immediately for the new session.

If you are aware of students who may need access to the 2022-23 version of the lists, they can do any of the following :

  • take a copy of the list by using the ‘View & Export’ button – before 5pm on 13th July
  • or save the URL of the list, which will continue to work even after the list is archived
  • or if a list has already archived, let us know that it needs to be revived, and we can do this.

Reading List Rollover

By Pamela Clarke, on 28 June 2023

Each summer the reading lists have a new copy made for the new academic year, much like the Moodle snapshot. This year, we will rollover on the evening of Thursday 13th July 2023 from about 5pm.

Reading lists for 2022-23 will have an exact copy made for 2023-24, which will publish immediately.

  • The old version (2022-23) will archive, which means it will disappear from public view but can be found and re-used in future years if needed.
  • Students will still have continuous access to their reading lists: there is no down time for viewing lists.
  • Editing rights remain constant, so list editors are able to edit the new lists as soon as they appear.
  • Lists already set up as 2023-2024 will be unaffected by the rollover.

Please Note

  • Unpublished changes will not copy forward into the new list: please publish your lists before 5pm 13th July if you wish your updates to be carried forward, or we can do this for you. Just email us, details are below.
  • We suggest you stop editing reading lists before 5pm on 13th July, and continue editing when you can see it has the 2023-24 date stamp – certainly from the next morning Friday 14th July 2023, if not sooner.
  • The Moodle ‘Library resources’ block needs no maintenance and will continue to link to the most recent year’s list. The optional integration ‘Reading list items’ requires checking and possibly some re-linking of resources, particularly after the reading list has been updated for the new year.
  • To have old courses archived, new lists set up, or current module names amended, email us your requests!
  • If you are aware of students who may need access to the 2022-23 version of their lists, please see advice here on Accessing your old Reading List .

Support

Do you need a refresher on how to edit and manage your lists?  The ReadingLists@UCL webpages  and Libguides have online quick guides including short videos, and FAQs. The TLS team offer refresher training via Teams or face-to-face.  Get in touch and you could walk away with a new list set up and ready to go, linked via the Library Resources block in Moodle !

Would you like a review of your reading list ?  If yes, then “Request Review” after you have finished adding all your items to your list, and TLS will give your list a health check.

Reading list rollover 22/23

By Nick Forbes, on 18 July 2022

The 2022 ReadingLists@UCL “rollover” process is now complete!Library books

What does this mean?

All 5000+ 21/22 reading lists have been copied, and these copies have been badged as 22/23. The 21/22 versions of all these lists have been archived and are now hidden from view. The result is a seamless transition from 21/22 reading lists to new 22/23 versions of those same lists, ready for the new academic year.

What impact will this have on my reading list?

Your 22/23 list is identical to the 21/22 version as at the rollover date (14th July). So when you search for your list in ReadingLists@UCL everything will be the same as you remember it – with the sole difference being that it’s marked as 22/23 rather than 21/22! You can just continue to make changes to it as normal, and published lists will also be visible to students as normal.

Do my digitised readings also roll forward?

Yes, for the most part these will all roll forward into 22/23 and will continue to function as normal.

The only exception to this is digitised readings where we’ve had to request permission directly from the copyright holder (e.g. the publisher), rather than use our institutional CLA licence. This applies to the very small number of readings that aren’t covered by our CLA licence. The link to these readings may temporarily break as at rollover, and we at TLS need to request fresh permission for the coming year for these. Once we have this we will reinstate those links. This is a routine task that we do over the summer each year, and we will be in touch if your readings are affected.

What if I or my students need access to the 21/22 version of the list?

If you ever need to refer back to your 21/22 list for any reason please let us know. We can recover it from the archive if necessary.

Where can I find further support?

General advice and guidance on reading lists can be found on the ReadingLists@UCL Libguide.

If you have any questions about the rollover process, or have any questions on anything to do with reading lists at UCL, please drop us a line.

We also offer informal in-person sessions (either over Teams or in person), where you can refresh your knowledge of any aspect of ReadingLists@UCL with an expert member of the TLS team. Interested? Send us an email and we’ll arrange a session.

If you want to set up a new reading list please complete this webform and we’ll set it up for you.

Reading List rollover

By Pamela Clarke, on 21 June 2021

Each summer the reading lists have a new copy made for the new academic year, much like the Moodle snapshot. This year the rollover is scheduled for the evening of Monday 5th July 2020. From about 5pm that day:

  • Reading lists for 2020-21 will have an exact copy made for 2021-22, which will publish immediately.
  • The old version (2020-21) will archive, which means it will disappear from public view but can be found and re-used in future years if needed.
  • Students will have continuous access to their reading lists: there is no down time for viewing lists.
  • Editing rights remain constant, so list editors are able to edit the new lists as soon as they appear.
  • Lists already set up as 2021-2022 will be unaffected by the rollover.

Please note

  • Unpublished changes will not copy forward into the new list: please publish your lists before 5pm 4th July if you wish your updates to be carried forward.
  • We suggest you stop editing reading lists before 5pm on 4th July, and continue editing when you can see it has the 2021-22 date stamp – certainly from the next morning Tuesday 6th July, if not sooner.
  • The Moodle ‘Library resources’ block needs no maintenance and will continue to link to the most recent year’s list. The optional integration ‘Reading list items’ requires checking and possibly some re-linking of resources, particularly after the reading list has been updated for the new year.
  • To have old courses archived, new lists set up, or current module names amended, email us your requests!
  • It is possible that students may need access to the 2020-21 reading list. This is possible, and they are advised to follow these steps.

Support

Do you need a refresher on how to edit and manage your lists?  The ReadingLists@UCL webpages have online quick guides including short videos, and FAQs. Though working remotely, the TLS team still offer 1:1 set up and refresher training through Teams. Get in touch and you could walk away with a new list set up and ready to go, have guidance on how to link to non-standard resources, or find out how to embed reading lists in Moodle.

Accessing your old reading list

By Pamela Clarke, on 21 June 2021

Each year, the online reading lists for all modules rollover so that a new version for the next academic year can be made available. Students may need to consult an older version of their reading list for revision, if they are involved in Late Summer Assessements

The reading list rollover on 5th July means that the 2020-21 reading lists will archive.  From 6th July the lists available to view will be the new lists for academic year 2021-20;  these are available to update immediately for the new session.

If you are aware of students who may need access to the 2020-21 version of the lists:

  • students can take a copy of the list by using the ‘View & Export’ button – before 5pm on 4th July
  • or save the URL of the list, which will continue to work even after the list is archived
  • or if a list has already archived, let us know that it needs to be revived, and we can do this.

The Exam papers archive remains available all year round, and the papers can also be searched for via Explore, the library catalogue.  Students will need to log in with their UCL ID when accessing these from off campus

Friday thoughts: Film

By Hazel M Ingrey, on 19 June 2020

https://www.flickr.com/photos/48244560@N05/5423999898 ; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

“Cinema” by Robbee2010 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Teaching with film, radio or broadcast TV is something we are often asked about.  The complex copyright implications of working with audio-visual material is an evergreen subject, as is how to find material to show in the classroom or provide for students to watch at home.  One easy solution is to find viewing materials on BoB (Box of Broadcasts), a service which ties in with UCL’s ERA licence, and works well with ReadingLists@UCL (UCL ID and login needed).

 

Some related reading and watching, then, for the weekend:

  • Dr Julie Lobalzo Wright (University of Warwick) has curated a BoB playlist entitled ‘Stars, Stardom and Representation’.  Watch an introduction to the playlist (1 minutes 22 seconds), or view the playlist itself (login needed). Other playlists are available to browse or search in BoB’s Teaching Resources.  If you see a gap in the subjects why not co-produce your own playlist with BoB?  UCL has a lot of expertise in niche areas that could be inviting. Contact Learning on Screen to contribute a playlist.
  • Of course anyone can create a playlist on BoB: from academics compiling a list of documentaries for a reading list, to teaching staff creating clips from comedy to show in the classroom, to students gathering resources to watch later.  If you choose to mark your playlist ‘public’ then it will be searchable to other BoB users: similarly, you are able to search all available playlists created by other subscribing BoB members.
  • For a weekend read, dip into Learning on Screen’s most recent Viewfinder magazine on the theme of Decolonising (Issue 114).
  • A post over on the UCL Copyright blog covered an update to accessing BoB from overseas during the Covid-19 emergency, when some students may have returned home.  Read the post Covid-19 update: Box of Broadcasts for more information.

 

Finally, looking to the future: to help make it easier to teach with AV materials in future, Learning on Screen is working with the brilliant UK Copyright Literacy and academic staff to develop a ‘Code of Fair Practice’ for the use of audiovisual works.  Workshops are being run to find how Film academics currently work with AV material and to develop fair guidelines for our sector.  We will update here when the results are published!