The steps below will help you get set up in the Reading Lists system.
Click on a step to find out more information and some relevant FAQs will also appear on the right-hand side.
In order to set up your Reading List you need to log into Yorkshare and then access the relevant module. From there you should see an option for Reading Lists in the left-hand menu.
If you can’t see this, either use the FAQs opposite for instructions on how to install the tool link or send us an email and we will do this for you.
If you’re starting from scratch or making major changes you can send your list to us and we will set it up. However, it’s still worthwhile reading the information below to find out about about selecting resources, how we can provide resources (e.g. digitised readings) and information about the tags you will need to use.
In order to add items to your Reading List you need to set up sections in the list. If you’d like to structure the list by weekly reading we have a template for that, otherwise you will need to add in the sections yourself. Sections need to have title and there is also the option to add a description.
There are two options available: weeks 1-10 or a blank list. If you choose a blank list you could then structure your sections by topic, or by essential/recommended module reading, it’s entirely up to you. 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.
Once you have set your sections up you are ready to start adding items to the list. And remember, you can edit section titles and move them around as needed.
There are different ways to add items into your reading list depending on how you prefer to work. More information about how all of these features work is available in the FAQs.
It is also important to think about how your students will access the reading for your module. In particular:
We purchase ebooks to provide the widest possible access to resources. Not all publishers make ebooks available for libraries to buy, even when there's an option for individuals. Some ebooks have restrictions (e.g. three concurrent users); we always purchase the best available version.
We can scan either a whole chapter or up to 10% of most books (whichever is the greater). We then upload a high quality PDF scan to your list. Scanning chapters increases availability of resources; there is no restriction on the number of books per list from which we can scan chapters. You can let us know what to scan by using the tags (see step 4).
Ejournals have few access restrictions. You can create direct links to subscribed content through your reading list, which we recommend rather than uploading articles to the VLE. We can digitise articles from print-only journals, and we are able to purchase individual articles if we don’t take the journal.
The Library’s Reading Lists system enables you to add a range of other resources, including web links. You can embed links, for example, to our Skills Guides, key Library and Archives collections, relevant online databases, or programmes from Box of Broadcasts.
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:
Tags only visible to the Library are for requesting scanning for both the Digitisation Service and for requesting reading in an accessible format:
Reading Lists allows you to annotate both sections and individual items. See below for an explanation of what the options are:
If you’ve created the list yourself the next step will be to publish your list so that it is visible to students.
You don’t need to worry about telling the Library as well. We run reports every night to pick up new items that you have added to a list and order items, organise digitisation etc. Of course, if you have any concerns or queries just get in touch: lib-readinglists@york.ac.uk.
You can unpublish your list if you no longer want it to be visible to students. Just click on the menu option again and choose Unpublish.