Northumbria University implemented a new integrated Reading List service using Talis Aspire to improve the student experience and engagement with required course readings. The service consolidates access to both print and electronic readings in one place and saw over 300 faculty members publish over 310 reading lists comprising 18,000 items in the first seven weeks. Challenges remained in perfecting reporting, converting draft lists to live versions, and deeper integration with other university systems. Overall, early feedback from students and faculty was positive about the centralized access and support provided by the new Reading List service.

1. From design to delivery: designing an integrated
Reading List service at Northumbria University
Talis Aspire Open Day, London
Thursday 27th November 2014
Annette Coates
Content Services Manager

2. Outline
 Introduction to Northumbria
 Northumbria’s ‘Digital First’ framework
 Our new Reading List service
 Challenge of engagement
 Reaction to the service
 Questions / Discussion

3. Northumbria University
 1894 (Rutherford College of Technology)
 32,000 students from over 130 countries
 3,000 staff
 Four faculties across two campuses
 560 employer-sponsored courses
 60 programmes accredited by professional bodies
 In Britain’s best university city – Newcastle upon Tyne

4. University Library
 Part of Academic Services directorate at Northumbria
 Three sites across two campuses
 24/7 and Customer Service Excellence (CSE)
 3rd highest scoring in the UK - THES Student Experience survey
 Reorganised into five library departments 2013:
– Business Support
– Customer Support
– Learning Support
– Content Services
– Research Support
 Superconverged frontline – ‘Ask4Help’

5. Print and e book usage at Northumbria*
* Measures are proxies for both print and e and probably not directly comparable.

6. Print and e book title access

7. Content Services
 Wider context – moved from subject liaison to functional model
 Customer-facing Content Services department
 Four teams
– Copyright
– Inter-Library Loans
– Reading List
– Resource Discovery and Access
 Multi-skilled Reading List team (14 FTE)
– Two roles – coordinator and assistant
– Advocacy and support
– Acquisition of print and e books
– Management of Talis Aspire and Digitised Content
– Scanning and routine clearance for digitisation
– Ensuring quality - Checking links and metadata
– Collaboration between Content Services teams to deliver the Reading List service

8. Reading List service
 From ‘Design to Delivery’
– Focus on student experience / NSS, Corporate Strategy and University KPIs
– In our Library User Satisfaction Survey 13/14, students rated ‘Course books and essential texts’ as the most
important University Library service, but were only 81% satisfied
– Product reaction cards and customer journey maps
 Integrated and comprehensive approach
– Enable shift to digital
– Recognise need to provide both print and e
– High level of dedicated library support and operational focus
 Senior buy-in and support across institution
 Pilots Semester Two 13/14
– Early adopters
– NSS action planning (38 programmes)
– Distance Learning
– London campus
 Launched University-wide 14/15

9. Customer-focused service design

10. Student customer journey maps

11. Advocacy and engagement with academic staff
 Key to success and the hardest nut to crack
 Multi-faceted approach
 Support
– Project Steering Group – included Faculty Associate Deans for Learning & Teaching
– Won support from key contacts e.g. Directors of Distance Learning
– Additional support given to early adopters – lists put onto Aspire
– Initial demo and desk side support for all provided by Reading List team
– Continuing support emphasised via dedicated phone number / e-mail / face to face
– 24 hour support via online guide to the service for academic staff – including bite-size videos
 Promotion and communication
– Talking head promotional video featuring an early adopter
– Updates on pilot / service included in key University Library reports to University
– Group demonstrations and FAQ sessions for Faculties and Departments
– Presentations at key University events – e.g. Technology Enabled Learning Project updates
 Snow ball effect – Positive word of mouth – Power of list envy
 Reading list service as primary mechanism for ordering reading list
materials

12. Challenges and selling points
Top 4 reading list challenges
from academics
1. Spoon feeding / Effect
on research skills
2. No time / Addition to
their workload
3. I use the VLE to do this!
4. Do we have to use it?
Top 5 selling points for
engaging with the service
1. Trusted support
2. Integration of digitisation
service
3. Integration with the VLE
4. Learning analytics /
Dashboard
5. Student feedback / NSS

13. Reading List service activity seven weeks into
Semester One…
 Worked with over 300 Faculty colleagues
 Published over 310 lists live to students comprising
18,000 items
 Driven significant print and e book acquisition
 Digitised over 1,300 items for over 500 lists (using Talis
Aspire Digitised Content
 Over 1,800 students registered a personal profile
 Longest list so far is 576 items

14. Reading List service usage seven weeks into
Semester One…

15. Digitisation usage adding value

16. Student feedback - Module evaluation
 “Reading list was great help as often difficult to find articles”
 “…useful as all materials were in the same place and could be accessed online”
 “…really helpful. It allows me to get access to certain part of the book easier and up to
date”
 “Reading lists were very helpful and easy to access” (x 6 students)
 “…very helpful for seminar prep and coursework – should be an addition to every module,
especially for books that aren’t easily accessible in the library or too expensive to buy”
 “The reading list was helpful, however I had trouble accessing some of the material from it”
 “The online reading helped a lot, it meant not having to buy or have to wait for books”
 “The reading list on line was useful, even if it takes some getting used to”
 “I found the reading list helpful, it significantly facilitated the preparation”

17. Academic staff feedback
“The new reading lists are incredibly user friendly and have the
great advantage for both on - site and distance learning students
of ensuring that all their reading is accessible in one place.
The lists are also live – which means that I can update them with
new material as and when I read it, which allows the students to
see that the disciplines in which we work are constantly evolving.
The process of setting up the lists has been made incredibly
easy for me by staff in the library, who ensured that the materials
were available for students as they began their module.”
Professor Tom Lawson

18. Challenges
 Talis Aspire
– Reporting on draft lists
– Converting draft lists into live lists – ongoing challenge of engagement & advocacy
– Perfecting the art of the review
– Getting the online reading list into the module approval process
 Talis Aspire Digitised Content
– Transition to TADC
– Setting up soft systems
– Converting all digitisation into Talis Aspire uptake
– Quality of scans
– When to digitise if e is available
– Lead in time for addition clearance
– Renewal workflows
 Overall
– Need for deeper integration and automation
– Reporting

19. Thanks for listening…any questions?
Annette Coates
Content Services Manager
annette.coates@northumbria.ac.uk
@antet
http://library.northumbria.ac.uk