Using the library

Creating and updating reading lists

All modules have a reading list on Loughborough University’s Online Reading List System, LORLs. Module Leaders and Academics are responsible for populating these lists, guiding students to relevant material that support their studies and ensuring that the Library is alerted to the material required. The Library has produced some guidance on best practice for reading lists including how to ensure they meet inclusivity and accessibility guidelines.

Accessing reading lists

The simplest way to access LORLs is via the link to ‘Reading Lists’ on the module card within LEARN as this will take you direct to the appropriate reading list. You can also access LORLs via the link to Reading Lists on the Loughborough University Library webpage you can then navigate to the appropriate module reading list.

Editing reading lists

To edit a reading list, you need to login to LORLs with your University username and password, the option to login is on the top right-hand side of the webpage. Only Module Leaders or Academics teaching on the specific module will be able to edit the Reading List. Once logged in you can add books, articles, electronic resources, etc. You can also delete items no longer required or sort items into a different order.

The Library is alerted to any edits made to Reading Lists and we check these ensuring that we have the items in stock and in sufficient quantities. We also link to electronic copies if we have them.

Adding items to your reading list:

You will need to assign an importance for the material being added; ‘Key’ resources are those that are essential for the module and all students will need to access. ‘Standard’ is the default option and are resources that would be useful for the module. ‘Additional’ are resources that are background or further reading.

To learn more about adding items to a list, please follow the instructions that follow or watch this video.

Click on the ‘Add New’ button at top left of screen
Select where on the list you would like the new item adding from the drop-down list ‘Add item after position’

Then for:

A book/ebook

In item type, select ‘Book’ then click on ‘Add’
Next select the level of importance, Key, Standard or Additional; Standard is the default.
If you have the ISBN add it into the first box, then tab down and all bibliographic details will be filled in automatically. If you do not have the ISBN you need to add in the title, author, publisher, and edition of the book (if there is more than one).
Then click on ‘Save’

ISBNs of books can be found on the Details tab in the Library catalogue or in the book description on publisher websites.

A book chapter

In item type, select ‘Book Chapter’ then click on ‘Add’
Select the level of importance, Key, Standard or Additional; Standard is the default.
Fill in the chapter title in the first box
If you have the ISBN add it into the appropriate box, then tab down and all bibliographic details will be filled in automatically. If you do not have the ISBN you need to add in the title, author, publisher, and edition of the book (if there is more than one).
Please list the pages of the extract required
Then click on ‘Save’

ISBNs of books can be found on the Details tab in the Library catalogue or in the book description on publisher websites.

A journal article

In item type, select ‘Journal Article’ then click on ‘Add’
Select the level of importance, Key, Standard or Additional; Standard is the default
If you have the DOI add it into the first box, then tab down and all bibliographic details will be filled in automatically. If you do not have the DOI you need to add in the article title, author, journal title, publisher, volume, issue, pages, and year of publication
Then click on ‘Save’

DOI’s can be found on the article title page of the ejournal, please note you do not need to include https://doi.org/just the DOI which is usually in the format10.1017/S0020818300001387

An electronic resource

In item type, select ‘Electronic Resource’ then click on ‘Add’
Select the level of importance, Key, Standard or Additional; Standard is the default
Add in the URL to the first box and then type in the title and author/publisher as appropriate
Then click on ‘Save’

Organising your reading list

Sub-headings

To structure your reading list you can organise it by week or by topic using sub-headings, further information on this is available on our webpage best practice for reading lists.

To add a sub-heading to your reading list

Click on the ‘Add New’ button at top left of screen
Select where on the list you would like the new item adding from the drop-down list ‘Add item after position’
In item type, select ‘Sub-Heading’ then click on ‘Add’
Type in the details
Then click on ‘Save’

To learn more on how to structure your reading list please watch this video

Moving items on your list

You can move items around on your reading list if you wish to rearrange the order of them and there are a couple of ways to do this. If you are just moving one item, you can click on the resource number at the far-left hand side of the list and drag it to where you would like to reposition it. If you are moving a section of resources then it is better to click on each of the numbers of the resources that you wish to move, the numbers are then highlighted, and a set of new options appears at the top left of the screen and the first of these is ‘Move’. Click on this and a pop-up appears stating ‘Move X items to after position’ followed by a drop-down list of numbers so that you can choose where you would like the highlighted items moved to. After selecting the appropriate item, you want the items to be listed after then click on ‘Move’ and that will reorder the list.

Notes

You can add notes to the reading list, to specific resources or to Library staff via LORLs. To add notes to the reading list itself.

Click on the ‘Add New’ button at top left of screen
Select where on the list you would like the new item adding from the drop-down list ‘Add item after position’
In item type, select ‘Note’ then click on ‘Add’
Type in the details
Then click on ‘Save’

If you would like the text to be bold you can do this by adding <b> before the start of the note and </b> at the end of the note, similarly if you want it to be in italics you can add <i> before the start of note and </i> after the end of the note.

To add notes to specific resources, click on the resource and select ‘Edit’, on the first tab entitled ‘General Information’ the bottom field is entitled ‘Note to students’. This is a free text field, and you can type in whatever information you would like students to know about here. Once finished click on ‘Save’. As with the above note you can make this bold or in italics if you would like to.

It is possible to send messages to Library staff if you have a query or request regarding a specific resource, click on the resource and select ‘Edit’. Click on the tab entitled ‘Academic Recommendations’ and then in the field ‘Note to Library’ type in the request, information or question you have for Library staff. This note will be received by Library staff the next working day and if there are any problems, they will contact you regarding this.

FAQs

What is the difference between the main online reading list system (LORLS) and the reading list which I can see on my Learn module?

The main online reading list system sends data through to LEARN, so that items from your reading list appear on your module page. For longer reading lists or to access electronic resources your students may find it easier to view the list on LORLs using the link on the Module Card rather than accessing it from within LEARN.

Please note you cannot edit your reading list directly in LEARN, you can only make alterations to your readings on LORLs.

Why are changes that I have made to LORLs not showing within LEARN?

The reading list system links to LEARN so that the readings are displayed on the left-hand side of the module page within LEARN but it is not a live feed. This means that there is a delay in changes made on the reading list system being reflected in the readings displaying in LEARN. If the changes have not updated after a day, please contact the Library and we will check this for you.

It is easier for me to add a Word document containing my reading list to the module page on LEARN - what are the benefits of using the online reading list system?

The system automatically alerts the Library to the details of what is being recommended which enables us to acquire and make available the appropriate texts and resources. If you add a Word document to LEARN the Library will not be aware of the resources, you are recommending and may not order the materials required
LORLs is the only place that scanned copies of journal articles or book chapters can be made digitally available in accordance with copyright legislation
The system presents live availability and the location for each item, eliminating the need for students to re-key the details into the Library Catalogue
The system allows students to link directly to electronic resources we hold, such as ebooks, ejournals and databases

If you are keen to also have a Word document for your students, then it is possible to export your completed LORLS list as a Word document. Just click on the ‘Export’ option at the top left of the webpage and then select ‘Word’ from the drop-down list of options.

How can I get editing rights for a reading list?

To make changes to a reading list, you need to have editing rights. Please contact the Library to obtain these. If there is not an existing list, then the Library can add a new empty reading list to the system for you to populate.

Will the Library arrange for digital access to the books I add to my reading list?

The Library has a digital first approach to content provision, so we do try to purchase ebooks in preference to print whenever possible. Unfortunately, not all texts are available to purchase as ebooks by institutions, some of the reasons for this include:

The publisher has only made their text available in print.
The book may have been published a long time ago and no digital copy was ever made available.
The ebook is only available for individuals to purchase, not institutions.
The cost of the ebook is prohibitively expensive when compared to the price of a print copy.
The text is only available to purchase as a subscription to a whole collection of ebooks.

I want my students to have access to the electronic version of a book chapter or journal article. Is this possible?

In most cases we can make a journal article or book chapter available digitally via our ereserve system so please do add the details of these to LORLs. These extracts are licensed by the Copyright Licensing Agency and the URLs are added to LORLs so they can be accessed direct from the reading list. There are restrictions on what items can be made available in this manner, but the Library will check these and ensure we comply with copyright regulations.

Please note that PDFs of articles, book chapters should not be placed on LEARN, they should only be made available via LORLs.

What material can be scanned and made digitally available?

Loughborough University holds a Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) Higher Education Licence which allows us to make digital copies of extracts from published printed material, such as book chapters or journal articles. We can make one chapter or 10% of a book (whichever is the larger) or one article per issue of a journal available digitally per reading list. Items made available this way must be reported to the CLA.

When an item that needs to be scanned is added to LORLs the Library obtains the required pdfs and adds them onto the Digital Content Store, which is a database managed by the CLA. Only items made available on the Reading List system are added to the Digital Content Store and thereby reported to the CLA, material made electronically available elsewhere may not be compliant with this licence so pdfs of scanned material must be made available via the Reading List system.

Please note that this service is subject to copyright regulations, there are limits on how much we can make digitally available, and the publisher must have signed up to the service otherwise we cannot legally make the item available. All of this is checked by the Library, so you do not have to worry about it!

Can I add a reading list for a META module?

The reading list system only has individual module codes on it rather than META modules, IT Services recommend that if Academics wish to link from a META module page in LEARN to the reading list system, they should manually insert a link to the appropriate reading list.

It is possible to link individual modules together so that they share one reading list. Please contact the Library if you would like this arranging.

Where can I go to obtain help with the Reading List system?

Please contact the Library or your Academic Librarian if you require help with your reading lists or if you have any questions.

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