Teesside University implemented a new reading list online (RLO) system due to the obsolescence of the previous one, which only received 30% of reading lists for updates. The new system, selected through a positive tender experience with Talis, has engaged academics and integrated well with existing university platforms, resulting in 51% of academic staff trained and nearly 983 active lists. Challenges included data conversion and timing of the launch, with plans for ongoing analysis and evaluation moving forward.

1. Reading Lists Online
(RLO)
http://readinglists.tees.ac.uk

2. Teesside University
• Medium sized University in the North East
of England
• Town Centre Campus
• 5 Academic Schools
• 800 academic staff
• 20 000 students

3. Why change?
• Our current system was obsolete
• We only received 30% of reading lists
for updating
• Potentially 3 versions were available
for staff and students to use
• Reading lists are a core part of the
student experience

4. Why Talis ?
• Positive tender experience
• Liked the way in which the system looked
and worked, intuitive and simple to use
• Good company infrastructure with tried
and tested support
• Already used by a large number of
Universities in the UK

5. Academic Engagement
• Engagement with academics began even
before the tender process - a University
working group had already identified need
for a new reading list system
• Project Tender Group included senior
academics
• Advisory Group – members were senior
staff in the University

6. Academic Engagement
• Attendance at University Committees
o Learning and Teaching Committee
o School Academic Standards
o School Conferences
o Subject group meetings
o Annual academic staff update

7. Key Benefits
Academics
Students
Library
University

8. The Teesside Way
• Academic staff were given the
opportunity to publish and review from
day one
• Existing academic librarians and their
staff would carry out training and
communication with staff in their schools
• No dedicated reading list team

9. Where did we start?
• We converted approx. 1500 Reading Lists
from our old system
• Tidied up level 4 ( first year UG ) lists
• Organised and publicised group training
sessions

10. Training for Library staff
• Don’t forget about your own staff in the
library
• They will be the best advocates for
promoting the system
• They need to be well trained and feel
confident when dealing with academic
colleagues and support staff

11. Training for Academic Staff
• We offered 30 min training sessions throughout
the first term during the hours of 12-2pm
• 1-2-1 in own offices also worked well
• Slot at school conferences/away days useful –
swap shop of ideas at one school
• RLO Libguide – some staff just used this guide
and didn’t need training

12. Integration
• Linked Reading List Online to our VLE
(Blackboard)
• Very important to get this right as this is
where our students will access and use
their reading lists

13. More integration
• We have linked RLO to module
documentation being submitted for
programme approval and review in the
University
• Very challenging and still has some teething
problems but is a significant step forward and
has really raised the profile of L&IS and RLO
• Linked to Summon

14. Where are we now?
• 51% academic staff now trained in RLO
• 983 active reading lists currently in the
system
• 40% of our budget has been used by
academic staff using RLO
• 519 reviews submitted by academic staff

15. What would we do differently if we
were starting again?
• We wouldn’t try to convert old reading list
data ☹
• We wouldn’t have launched the system during
September☹
• We would regularly review key stakeholders ☹

16. What’s next?
• Rollover is imminent
• Analysis and evaluation
• Benchmarks
• Devolved constraints ?