You will need your York Login to access the Reading Lists system.

If you’re starting from scratch or making major changes, you can send your list to us and we will set it up. The information below will help you with selecting resources, how we provide resources (e.g. digitised readings) and information about the tags you will need to use.

Before adding item to your Reading List, you should set up sections in the list. There is a template to structure the list by weekly reading, otherwise you you can choose the blank template and add sections yourself using the 'New Section' button at the top of the list.

A lot of the students we’ve spoken to say that they find the weekly list structure helpful in prioritising the reading they need to do across all of their modules each week. Whether you use the weekly template or create your own, sections need to have a title an there is the option to add a description.

Once you have created sections, you are ready to add items to the list. You can continue to edit section titles and move them around as needed.

Always use the Cite it! Bookmarking tool to add items to your Reading List. Use this tool on any website or HYMS Unicat. On Unicat you can select individual items or search strings to add to a list. Do not use the in-built Reading List search option to add items as this will not always pull relevant search links to your HYMS lists.

The Cite it! tool allows you to add items straight to your list, or to your 'My Collection' area, which allows you to gather items for use in multiple lists.

• If a book is not in stock on Unicat, add it to your list from Amazon.
• If you are adding an article, add it from the journal platform. The link will be updated by the library to ensure it authenticates via the library providers.
• If updating an edition, add it as a new item and copy relevant notes and tags from the old reference, then delete the old edition reference.
 

Tip: It is also important to think about how your students will access the reading for your module. See our full handout for tips on selecting resources to use in your Reading Lists.

Once items have been added to a list, you need to add tags to each item. There are two types of tags: importance-level tags that are visible to everyone, including students; and tags which are only visible to Library staff.

Importance-level tags help students manage their workload and it also informs the Library about how many copies to purchase.  

“The grouping of reading into "essential" and "recommended" allows me to develop my understanding when necessary, whilst still managing my workload” — English student

There are three tags you can use:

• Essential - students must read this. The Library will meet demand using a range of options, including print and electronic copies, digitisation and ‘Use in Library Only’ copies.
• Recommended - all students are advised to read this. It is expected that students will read at least some material from this category. We will purchase at least one copy of these titles.
• Background - students may choose to read this. We may not automatically purchase background items, but we will add items to stock based on student demand.

As well as tags, use the library discussion feature to indicate which libraries need to purchase the item in question. This information is shared with the relevant library partners ie. University of York, University of Hull and/or NHS partner libraries

Tags only visible to the Library are for requesting scanning for both the Digitisation Service and for requesting reading in an accessible format:

• The Digitisation Service can provide high-quality copyright-cleared scans of reading needed for your course e.g. a book chapter or journal article. This is particularly useful for helping students get access to reading that is in high-demand.
• Our Alternative Format Request (SSP) tag is for students with a print impairment disclosed in their student support plan who need course materials providing in an alternative format. Furthermore, there are lots of different ways that we can help students and staff with disabilities use the Library and we’re always happy to discuss this with people so please get in touch.

Reading Lists allows you to annotate both sections and individual items.

• Public notes can be viewed by anyone and display beneath the item details on your list. This is useful for providing guidance to students about why you have recommended items.
• Private notes can only be viewed by yourself.
• Library discussion can be used to send comments on an item to Library staff.

Finally, you need to publish your list so that it is visible to students. You do this by clicking the 'Publish' button at the top of your list. It is important to select the Anyone publishing option to enable access to all resources.

Tip: You don’t need to worry about telling the Library as well. We run reports every night to pick up new and updated Reading Lists so we can order items and organise digitisation.

You can also unpublish your list if you no longer want it to be visible to students. To unpublish, click the menu button at the top of your list and select 'Unpublish' from the drop-down menu.

Add to blackboard

Once published, you need to add the permalink of your list to embed on HYMS Blackboard. Click on the Reading list options menu (⋯) within your list and select Permalink > List. You will get a URL, which can be changed to allow access to different users.

The ending of the link ?auth=SAML allows users to edit the list. Therefore, any link provided to students (for example, the url linked on Blackboard) should have this ending removed. Any link provided to other editors of the list should have this ending included.

• I don't have a module site in the VLE. What should I do?
• When I make a new list, is it visible to students straight away?
• What is the Cite it! tool and how do I access it?
• How do I move a section in my Reading List?
• Can I hide items from student view?
• If I don't tag an item on a list, what happens?

See more FAQs on the FAQs page of this guide.