Embedding a reading list management system - Collaboration or Coercion? Partnership or Persuasion?MONICA CRUMPNUI GALWAY

CONUL Conference, Athlone, 1st – 2nd June 2016

Reading List System – a Bridge!

The Water Lily Pond after Monet Painting by Barbara Crump

A bridge between stakeholders

Reading List System

Library Staff Academic Staff

Students

Benefits for the stakeholders

Reading Lists System

LibraryAcademic Staff

Student

• Single authoritative source of required readings

• Can evolve throughout semester and library and student will stay informed

• Easy to give reading guidance to students on what to read and why

• Reports of student engagement with lists!

• Easy to quickly review lists to see new material that will be needed

• Class size information allows decisions on how many copies/loan status etc.

• Direct linking to vendors

• Direct access to lists via Blackboard• Live library availability information• Direct links to online content• Guidance on what to read when and

why

A bridge between systems

Reading Lists System

Library Systems

Blackboard - VLE

Module Manager

Book Vendor Systems

A bridge between systems

Reading Lists System

Library Systems

Blackboard - VLE

Module Manager

Book Vendor Systems

• Direct import of information on modules underway in given academic year

• Blackboard Tool enables direct link from Blackboard module to the relevant Reading List

• Pulls in information on alternative editions

• Pushes book information to vendor system to enable speedy ordering

• Live information on availability and location of material

• Direct links to e-content, configured for off-campus access

• Alerts where no/ insufficient copies of material are held

Bridges need Collaboration!

Bangor Pier, Photo by Monica Crump

Persuasion of Academic Staff Lots of chats over cups of

tea Lots of persuasion “What’s in it for me?” Calling in favours Lots of positive reactions Not so much action!

Coercion of Academic Staff

Go on, go on, go on, go on, go on!

Following up on initial conversations to ensure action

Link budget and ordering priorities to submission of reading lists?

Only purchase multiple copies from submitted reading lists?

Partnership with Learning Technologists

Great buy-in from Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching

Despite major other project going on, they made the time to do the Blackboard integration work

Integration widget well defined and documented Working to their timetable of course! Invited us to present at the Blackboard Fair to aid roll

out

Cooperation with Academic Records? Major project at University level to

implement module management system

Had suffered lots of delays so timing was an issue

Didn’t need the headache of another system and really didn’t want to know!

So… We took the plunge without full

cooperation!

Blackrock Diving Board, Photo by Monica Crump

Year 1 – Early Adopter Pilot Presented to:

Individual academics Staff of academic programmes Staff of entire discipline Centre for Adult Learning

Internal Work in Parallel: Team formation Workflow design and

configuration Learning, learning, learning

Success? Some academics very active

Lists enabled in their Blackboard modules

New lists created Lots of student engagement Very positive feedback

SP689: 20 students498 views, 332 click-throughs16 annotations

GA213: 10 students112 views, 41 click-throughs

Child protection: 50 students346 views, 217 click-throughs15 annotations

Tort law: 100 students436 views, 245 click-throughs.

Next Steps

Keep building bridges Formal launch and marketing

campaign Targeted advocacy department

by department Starting to get requests from

academics! Hope that positive student

experience will create demand and momentum

Thank You!