Online Reading Lists: a guide for Academic Staff

Wherever possible, please Publish your lists by the following deadlines. Publishing your lists makes them available to students, and notifies the Library. The Library will need 4-6 working weeks to review online reading lists, order additional items, and ensure that links to online resources are stable.

It is still possible to edit and make changes to your lists after these deadlines, and throughout the year. If you have any queries about these timescales or about new essential items added to your online reading list, please contact your Academic Liaison Librarian.

Online reading lists provide your students with a single-point of access to: 

• real-time availability of items held in the Library, along with location information and number of copies
• links to Library subscriptions and online resources, encouraging students to make use of academic publications
• copyright-cleared and CLA licence-compliant scans of chapters and articles
• links to external webpages, videos, audio and images

Raising student satisfaction with Library resources is one of our highest priorities, and your online reading list can help to ensure that the items that your students need are in stock in the Library in time, and sufficient copies and online access is available wherever possible. You do not need to check links to online material, or location information for books on the shelves in the Library, and your Academic Liaison Librarian will contact you if there are any queries about resources recommended on your reading list. 

Yes, you can add an e-book link to the bookmarked print record. The Library team will also check to ensure that e-book links are added wherever available, but adding an e-book link can save time and ensure that the link is more readily available to your students. 

1. Search Enterprise for the title and author of your recommended item.
2. Firstly copy the link for the e-book from the results list. Do this by right-clicking on the 'Click here for online access to this book (University username and password required)' link and copying the link (in Chrome select ‘Copy link address’, in Firefox select ‘Copy Link Location’)
3. In Enterprise, click on the title of the print version of the recommended book so you are viewing the full details.
4. Click on the Bookmark Browser Extension button in your web browser.
5. Add an additional ‘Web address’ field by scrolling down to the 'Additional fields' section and selecting 'Web address' from the 'Type' drop-down list and click 'Add'.
6. Paste the copied link to the new 'Web address' field.
7. Tick the ‘Online Resource’ box just under the new field and click ‘OK’ in the pop up to confirm using the Web Address for the link.
8. Click on 'Create' or 'Create & Add to List'.

You will now have a single entry on your reading list which shows students both print and online availability of a book.

Please see the guidance on our 'Saving and Sharing your online reading list' page, linked below.

This is not possible in the online Reading Lists system, but it is possible within Blackboard to link to a section of a reading list, and edit the settings to make the link available after a certain date.

Please see the guidance on the pages below for creating links to sections and then setting release dates:

Yes, it is possible to create more than one list for the same module. You will need to create multiple lists in Blackboard (see instructions linked below). You may prefer to split the list into multiple sections, and link to each section separately in Blackboard - this means that you will only have to manage one list each year.

Please contact your Academic Liaison Librarian for advice on the options available.

Please see the guidance on our 'Saving and Sharing your online reading list' page, linked below.

Lists deletion can only be undertaken by the system administrators. Please email readinglists@reading.ac.uk if you wish to have a list deleted. Please provide a reason for the list to be deleted.

No. But you can import bookmarked items from one reading list into your 'My Bookmarks' page and then add these to another list using the 'Add resource' option on the Action bar. Download our step by step guide below:

Please follow the instructions below to export resources from 'My Bookmarks' into your EndNote Library.

1. Sign into the online Reading Lists system.
2. Go to 'My Bookmarks' on the black menu bar, and tick those ones you want to export. To export all resources on this page, tick the box at the top of the column (NB if you have multiple pages of bookmarks this will only export the ones on that page).
3. Click on 'Action' and choose 'Export citations'. This will produce a .ris file.
4.  Email/share this file with colleagues or import it into an EndNote library using the 'Reference Manager (RIS)' Import Option.

Please follow the instructions below to export resources from an online Reading List into your EndNote Library.

1. Sign into the online Reading Lists system and navigate to the list you would like to export.
2. Click on 'View & Export' in the top right of the list and choose 'RIS' under export. This will produce a .ris file.
3.  Email/share this file with colleagues or import it into an EndNote library using the 'Reference Manager (RIS)' Import Option.

Please follow the instructions in this PDF guide.

You need to be logged in to the system to view draft lists. If you are not logged in, you will receive an error message along the lines of 'Page not found'. Click on the 'Login' option on the black toolbar and it should automatically pick up your University login.

I cannot see the 'create a list' option in my account, why is this? To be able to create, edit, publish and share lists on the system you need to have been allocated the 'role' of 'list publisher'. If you have not received an automated email from @talisaspire.com inviting you to accept an invitation to become a ‘List Publisher’, then contact your Academic Liaison Librarian for further help:

Please note that the online Reading Lists system (Talis) should only be used for modules delivered within the UK (i.e. at Whiteknights or London Road), it is not licensed for use at our international partnership institutions/campuses.

The University Library availability information linked to each print item and our e-resource and copyright licensing agreements preclude the use of this software for modules taught at our international partnership institutions/campuses, including Malaysia.

If you require duplicate reading lists for modules taught at our international partnership institutions, please contact your Academic Liaison Librarian for further advice.