Reading List Guide

Unfortunately, the library is unable to covert print books into ebooks if they aren't offered by the publisher as an ebook with an education license. We endeavour to ensure that all essential reading is available online and will liaise with you if essential reading can't be provided online.

Contact the Learning and Teaching Support Team by email readinglists.lib@sussex.ac.uk and we’ll be able to make the changes for you.

The library is able to set up new lists or lists that aren’t currently in the system. Once the Library has set up your list we will make you the ‘list owner’ and email you the permissions to edit the list going forward. We are more than happy to arrange a 1-2-1 training session to take you through the process for the first time, or for a refresher.

You can add anything to your Reading List. Most important is to include the ‘essential’ resources all students are required to read in preparation for lectures and seminars. You can view our purchasing policy on our 'Welcome' page for more information about how we source essential and recommended readings. By providing direct links to these resources you will help students spend more time reading as opposed to searching for them.

• Structure: We recommend week by week - or topic by topic - sections, with clearly marked 'Essential' and 'further' categories/

• Size: we have statistical evidence that concise lists get the most usage. We recommend 150 items max.

• Student experience: availability of learning resources has an impact on the student experience. We recommend that each taught module should have an online reading list, so that the Library can provide the learning resources needed.

• Scaffolding: the reading list can be used to scaffold your teaching, by offering relevant resources, that are clearly signposted, and tied in to your curriculum content. We recommend that the online reading list is used as tool to support the teaching and learning of a specific module.

An important reason to have your reading lists online is that it’s the primary way the Library keeps track on what you’re asking your students to read. Without having your reading lists in the system it’s unlikely the Library will resource what your students will need  to access for your taught modules.

Another key advantage is the software’s ability to deliver Technology Enhanced Learning. For example, online Lists allow students to click through to items on the Library catalogue and web, providing real time availability and, where available, full-text access. In addition, each item in an online List is assigned an ‘importance’ (Essential or Further), which provides a very useful signpost to students looking to manage their reading effectively.

Online lists are interactive and you can add comments to particular items and sections to help students prioritise their reading. Student can also log into a List and add private notes and reminders as a way of helping them organise their reading.

Lists increase the availability, discovery and use of paid resources, both print and electronic, and make it more likely your students will engage with the required reading for your teaching.

Other benefits include the ‘1-click’ linkage to the full-text of electronic items and the ability for students to add private study notes and reminders, helping them to prioritise their reading.

Many academics have done this in the past but it sometimes breaks the terms of our CLA HE License and Copyright Law. You can find out more about this on our Copyright Guide. We’re very happy to digitise as much material as we’re legally allowed to and host them for you within your reading list. 

One of the benefits of the system is that you can get a proper sense of how well-used the resources are. Go to the reading list  and click on the green 'View lists analysis' button to enable analysis mode and view usage on the list.

How much can we digitise?

The library can digitise any material under the terms of our CLA Scanning Licence. The licensing is complex but means that we are usually able to reproduce either:

• A single chapter from a book (or two, if copyright permissions and funds allow)
• 10% of the total page numbers of the book
• A single article from a journal.
•  Please see our Copyright page for more information. 

We will either scan the item internally or obtain a copyright fee-paid copy from the British Library, then link the digitised item to your reading list.The digitisation opens in a online document viewer called Kortext, which enables students to read on-screen, download or print the article. 

To rename your list, click on the three dots in the top right of the list and select "Edit"

To update the details of your reading lists title information, type over the existing title information and then click save.  You can also set a Creative Commons License for the list and set the dates you would like the list to be accessible from if published.  Please not if you do not set a date then if published the list will be accessible until the end of the academic year.