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University of York Library
Library Subject Guides

Reading Lists: a practical guide for HYMS staff

Introduction

Introduction to HYMS Reading Lists

 

Use the HYMS Reading Lists system to improve the student experience. Reading Lists allows students to have easy access to their course reading in a clear and consistent way.

 

What is Reading Lists?

Reading Lists is an online system that works within your VLE modules to create online reading lists for HYMS students.

Reading Lists are an important part of the student learning experience. It is a way to ensure consistency and equality of access to reading materials for students, and also the key way in which academic staff inform the Library about recommended reading for their modules.

We aim to work in partnership with academic staff to ensure that students can access the course reading they need.

How does the Library help staff use Reading Lists?

We can help in a number of ways:

  • If you have a brand new list or major changes to a reading list, we can do that work for you. You just need to send the list to us via the online submission form
  • We offer 1-2-1 and departmental training at any time of year so if you’d prefer to talk to someone face to face about reading lists we can arrange that (contact lib-readinglists@york.ac.uk)
  • We can provide guidance on selecting materials to include in your reading list
  • We maintain this online guide which contains lots of information on how to use the Reading Lists system so you can make changes to the lists yourself

What do HYMS students want from a reading list?

Whether you have inherited a list from a colleague or whether you are starting from scratch, reading lists are most helpful to students if they are:

  • Realistic: so that students can access everything on their list there must be sufficient copies of items and appropriate loan periods, and resources should be available in digital form wherever possible
  • Accurate: so that students can find the correct resource, including correct editions
  • Prioritised: so that students understand what they are expected to read and the Library understands what it needs to provide
  • Clear: so that students understand which resources are relevant to which parts of the module
  • Up-to-date: so that students are working with your latest information
  • Timely: so that the Library has time to acquire and make available the required resources

Where can I access the Library's Reading Lists policy and guidelines?

Use the links below to access these documents:

Some suggested pointers for getting started using Reading Lists:

See what our HYMS students think about Reading Lists

“The reading lists on Blackboard are so user-friendly, and well laid out. It is so useful to be automatically directed to the paper.” 

“PDF chapters or a link to the library mean I can easily access a resource.”

“Really handy.” 

“They are easily accessible, and gives me a good starting point for reading.” 

“Guidance on what our tutor thinks encapsulate the week's learning.” 

“Links to full text read, tags for essential on books”