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Only published reading lists or lists with unpublished changes (not blank lists) will be made available on a monthly basis.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

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

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 All your 2022-23 reading lists have been archived and a copy created for 2023-24, which you can edit straight away.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

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 14^th 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.

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 13^th 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 13^th 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 13^th July, and continue editing when you can see it has the 2023-24 date stamp – certainly from the next morning Friday 14^th 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.

Ever asked yourself the question, “How can I make my course readings accessible”?

Well, this is exactly the question the TLS team set out to answer at the lunchtime marketplace session at the recent 2022 UCL Education Conference.

We were thrilled to be able to attend the event, as this was a fantastic opportunity for us to get out there and talk to people about our services, whether it’s ReadingLists@UCL, course readings digitisation, or our copyright support services. As a user-focused team it’s essential that we engage with the academic community to understand how we can best support their teaching and learning activities. So this was also a brilliant opportunity to hear from lots of different staff and students, and learn more about how we can support them in getting the most out of their teaching.

A particularly pleasant surprise was the sheer range of people who came to speak to us – and the range of topics they were interested in! We had queries from UCL academics and PhD students about setting up reading lists, many of whom wanted to know more about how to replace document-based reading lists with online lists. As well as talking them through it, we ran a couple of demos of the ReadingLists@UCL service on our laptop. This is something we’re always happy to do, so get in touch if you want to arrange a virtual session!

We also had lots of queries about copyright issues. These mostly came either from academics teaching PhD research skills, or from PhD students interested in the copyright rules affecting their theses (e.g. the copyright status of photographs they wanted to include). We explained the tailored support and advice we could offer in this area, and our Copyright for PHD Students leaflets went like hotcakes!

Someone asked us whether films held on DVD can be converted to streams for inclusion on online reading lists (answer: they usually can!). And lots of people just wanted to know more about what TLS did in general – so we were happy to tell them. We also had a really interesting discussion with a couple of students about accessibility, and the many ways TLS services support this important area.

So in all this was a brilliant opportunity to get out and about and speak to people, promote awareness of TLS and our services, and learn more about what’s on people’s minds when it comes to things like course readings and copyright. The pandemic has made it harder to engage with the academic community – while at the same time increasing the need for support for remote learning. So being able go to an in-person event again was brilliant. Looking forward to the next one!

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

• Need a quick reminder on how to update your online reading list for next year?
• Would a ‘getting started’ session help you get ahead?
• Or do you just want a few tips on setting up a list?

Drop in to the TLS office on a Wednesday afternoon 2.30-4.30pm from June 1st until October 2016.  We will be on hand to trouble-shoot problems, walk you through linking a reading list to Moodle, or just set aside some time to set up an online list with someone on hand to help if you get stuck!

Our office is in UCL Senate House, room 318.  If you aren’t familiar with this UCL Library Hub, ask at the UCL Senate House reception desk, or call the TLS office on 020 3549 5729 (internal x65729).

When you request a new online reading list we always offer a 1:1 orientation (just 20 minutes or so) at your own computer, to get you started.  Hazel and Pam also regularly visit Teaching Committee or Departmental meetings for a 10-minute introduction or demonstration.  Do get in touch to request training, demonstrations, or just for more information!

* TLSS: the Teaching & Learning Support Section, part of UCL Library Services.

Earlier this year I met with the MAPS Faculty Library Committee to give them a quick introduction to ReadingLists@UCL.  The composition of this meeting was really good because as well as academics the attendees included the Subject Librarian, the StAR (Student Academic Representative), academic/student liaison and an administrator, so I could showcase the benefits of the online reading lists to all of these audiences.

Some departments in MAPS find that they have little need for books in their teaching so this was the perfect opportunity to illustrate that a reading list does not have to be stuffed full of references to books and journals, but instead can be as little as a few links to relevant professional organisations that students need to be aware of. The Q&A session was followed by a brief demo of what reading lists could contain, where I emphasised various online resources, not just books.

Following on from the meeting we were tasked with putting together a short ‘crib sheet’ for the department. We already have the online ‘Quick Guide’, but we tailored another guide for the MAPS faculty and included an example of how to link to a website, how to link reading lists to Moodle blocks and how to install the Bookmarking Button. The resulting MAPS Getting Started with online lists guide is now online.

We further customised the guide with a list of suggested resources which could be useful, particularly on courses where reading lists aren’t commonly used.  Being familiar with the subject areas, Robert Tomaszewski, the Subject Librarian, was very happy to contribute these suggested resources.

This list of suggested resources is also presented as an online list to illustrate how it works in practice.  MAPS lecturers can include the resources in their own reading lists, or link to the guide.  For example, there is a guide to avoiding plagiarism, or you might prefer to include the link to UCL’s current plagiarism guidelines for students, as some other academics have also done on their reading lists.

MAPS have chosen to recommend that their lecturers create their own lists. We set the lists up, send editing access to the tutor and offer a quick orientation, so they can start managing their list. Take a look at an interesting list.

This strategy has worked fantastically well for the Faculty, with resulting successes so far of 99 out of 103 courses for Mathematics (96%) having an online reading list, whilst Statistical Science have reached the magic 100%. A similar approach could be taken by other Departments with low or relatively low take-up of reading lists, with suggested resources tailored to each department.

There are of course many alternative approaches to increase the number of reading lists and improve the student experience.  Please email us for further information, or to request a ReadingLists@UCL poster, aimed at either students or staff, which you can customise for your department.