How do I update my reading list for the new academic year?

If you are a module co-ordinator and an Aspire reading list for one of your modules has already been created by someone else, add it My Lists in Aspire (How do I do that?) before starting this checklist.

Please contact your subject librarian (How do I do that?) or email librarians@aber.ac.uk if you have any questions or would like to arrange some one-to-one help (How do I do that?).

For your students

• Update the Aspire list content
• Add any new titles from Primo ( How do I do that? ) or not in Primo (How do I do that?)
• Remove any unwanted or obsolete items ( How do I do that? )
• Check for newer editions of existing titles in the list and either add them or replace the existing editions in the list as needed
• Check for and fix any broken links (How do I do that?)
• Arrange the list items in sections by weekly readings, themes etc. as required ( How do I do that? )
• Ensure any advice for your students is included in a Note for students (How do I do that?), for example, if an ebook is only available to a limited number of users simultaneously
• Avoid assembling an excessively long list; a reading list supports learning, it is not an exhaustive bibliography

This Panopto recording (06/09/20 run-time: 12:27) shows how to add the following to an Aspire reading list: sections, books from Primo and elsewhere, a chapter (and request digitisation), online articles, web pages and Box of Broadcasts recordings.

For timely library stock purchasing and digitisations

• Ensure your reading list is complete for the new academic year before the reading list deadline (What are the reading list deadlines?)
• Ensure each item on the list has the correct importance level selected, that is, Essential or Further Reading ( How do I do that? ) (What will happen?) 
  • If you want the Library to try to source an ebook for a title you have added, you must set the importance to Essential.
  • If you want the Library to try to source an ebook for a Further reading title added prior to when you inherited the Aspire list, change the importance to Essential and add a Note to Library (How do I do that?) requesting an ebook
• To ensure that a book is purchased, it must be added as the resource type Book to the Aspire list (How do I do that from Primo? or not from Primo? )
• To ensure that a journal article or 10% / one chapter of a book is digitised, it must be added to the Aspire list as the resource type Article or Chapter and digitisation must be requested using the Request Digitisation online form (How do I do that?)  
• Ensure any additional information or questions for library staff are included in a Note to library ( How do I do that? )

For flexibility in case of any changes in COVID-19 alert levels 

• Where possible, focus your reading list around online sources and locate online items before print-only items in the lists where needed
• Consider adding alternative online sources to sections relying on print-only content
• You may find it useful to highlight in the list description or a section description where important resources in your list are not available online

Before re-publishing, check 

• The title of your list contains the correct module code(s) and module title (s) ( How can I do that? )
• The list is attached to hierarchy to the matching module code ( How do I change that? )
• The time period is correct  ( How do I change that? )
• The list owner is correct ( How do I change that? )

Now re-publish

• Re-publish your list ( How do I do that? )

to ensure

• the Library can buy the books and process the digitisations you have added
• your students will see the changes you have made to your reading list when they view the Aspire list in Blackboard