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Online reading lists: a guide for students

A guide to using your online reading list.
Making the most of your online reading list

Your online reading list is an interactive and dynamic list of recommended readings, with a single point of access to:

  • relevant printed resources with real-time availability information;
  • our online resources, such as e-books and journal articles;
  • links to external web pages and embedded multimedia;
  • scanned extracts of key readings requested by academic staff through the Library’s scanning service.    

Links to your reading lists are available via module content on Blackboard. If you are temporarily unable to access Blackboard, you can also access them directly from the Reading lists system:

Watch our short video to find out how to find your reading list on Blackboard and access the resources listed on it. You can also find ways that it can help you manage your time and interact with the resources. (This video is accompanied by narration and subtitles.)

If you are unable to view this video on YouTube it is also available on YuJa - view the online reading list intro video on YuJa (University username and password required)

Finding your reading list on Blackboard

You will usually find a direct link to the relevant reading list from the module site on Blackboard.

When viewing the module site look for the 'Online Reading List (Talis)' entry:

Link to the Talis Online Reading List

Click on this to view your list. If you want to go back to the module 'home' page on Blackboard at any time, click on the purple 'X' icon in the top left.

You might also find links to specific sections of the list in the Learning Materials section on Blackboard where your lecturer would like you to read specific resources each week or on a topic.

Exploring your reading list

Here are a few tips to get you started:

  • Click on the title of the item in your list to view further details about an item, where it is held in the Library, or to see if it is available. 
  • Click 'View Online' to view e-books, online journal articles, and digitised chapters.

 

  • You can sort your list by importance (e.g. ‘Recommended for student purchase’, ‘Essential’ reading, ‘Recommended’ reading etc.), whether it's available online or in print by clicking on the ‘View' filter at the top of the page. This might help you to manage your time and plan your reading more effectively.

Jumping to a specific section

You can use the Table of Contents button at the top left of the list to jump straight to a particular week's recommended reading. 

Using filters to restrict your view

Use the box on the top right of your list to filter the list to items available in the Library or online; items that you have indicated you will read/haven't haven't read yet, by recommended importance set by your lecturer, or to those with personal notes attached. 

Once you have selected a filter, you will only see items in that category (an item could be in more than one category at once).

To clear a filter, scroll to the top and click 'Clear Filter'.

Searching for authors/titles within your list

Use the search box at the top right of the list to find a specific author, title or keyword. Only matching items will display. You can clear a search by clicking 'Clear search' on the yellow bar.