Try the new List View in Aspire

Aspire Reading Lists has been upgraded, introducing some changes to the way that reading lists look when you view them in Aspire.

There will be no change to Aspire reading lists as they appear in Blackboard modules except for  IMLA Distance Learners who will see the changes described here.

Staff who log in to edit lists in Aspire can change any list back to the previous layout by clicking Exit Beta for a limited period.

Viewing lists: improvements

• Book jacket images are included in list items
• Click on a title to expand list item information  
• View your list / list sections in a citation style of your choice
• You can click View: All to filter list items by Essential or Further reading, reading intentions and study notes.

Viewing lists: changes

• Use the globe shortcut to toggle between Welsh and English
• If you use the View: All button to filter Physical or Online Resources: the information you see may incorrectly infer that something isn't available in a particular format when it is (depending on how items have been added to Aspire, or how they are co-catalogued in Primo)
• To find a direct link to an item: click the 3-dot action menu to the right of the item and click Share item

Staff editing lists: changes

• The Publish button no longer appears in the Edit menu; click Edit > Edit (Classic) to find the Publish button on the right of the page
• Find the Edit button in the middle or right of the page, rather than on the left 
• The Dashboard button is now in the View & Export menu and it is called Analytics

Subject librarians are happy to demonstrate the new List View features - please contact them directly or email acastaff@aber.ac.uk / phone 1896 with any questions you have or to arrange a visit.

Aberystwyth University wins runner-up in Excellence in Marketing and Engaging Academics at Talis Insight Europe 2018

We are delighted to share the news that Aberystwyth University has won runner-up in Excellence in Marketing and Engaging Academics category awarded by Talis at their annual conference in May, after achieving published lists for 100% of undergraduate module taught in 2017-2018. Talis Insight Europe 2018 took place at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre with the awards ceremony taking place next door at the spectacular Library of Birmingham.

The award was collected by Joy Cadwallader of the Academic Engagement team, Hugh Owen Library. We would like to thank all our partners in academic departments and professional services at Aberystwyth University for engaging with Aspire Reading Lists.

New, improved Aspire Reading List page for BlackBoard

The advice previously displayed in the left panel of the Aspire Reading List page in Blackboard can now be found by clicking the menu button next to the page title, so that the reading list can use the full width previously taken by both panels.

Please contact the Academic Engagement team by acastaff@aber.ac.uk or phone 01970621896 if you have any questions.

What do students think about reading lists at Aber?

One of the Information Services Focus Groups that we conducted this year explored the students’ experience of using Aspire reading lists as part of their studies. Feedback gathered from the students revealed the following:

• Students would like to see what’s on the reading list before registering for a module.
• Reading lists should include all the necessary resources for the course and enable the students to build on the knowledge gained in lectures through further reading.
• Students really liked those lists which were organised with week-by-week sections. 

• The way the books on the reading lists linked through to Primo was seen as being very useful and the students thought it would be great if this was consistent across all modules.
• Overly-long lists were sometimes felt to be a bit off-putting. 

• Whilst the reading list on Blackboard was well liked by students they thought it would be useful if they were introduced to the Aspire system too. The additional features that it provides, particularly the facility to create and export bibliographies, was seen as being really helpful.

Subject librarians will happily assist module co-ordinators in creating or updating their Aspire reading lists. Additionally, librarians are also available to provide quick demonstrations of the Aspire system and its features to students. 

Please contact your subject librarian or the Academic Engagement Team at acastaff@aber.ac.uk or on 01970621896. We're happy to meet at a time and place convenient for you.

Links to digitised documents to be added to Aspire Reading Lists

As of Tuesday 28th February, reading lists requiring articles and/or chapters to be digitised will be processed in a new way to streamline the service for students.

Digitised readings e.g. books chapters or journal articles for seminars etc. are currently deposited in a folder in your Blackboard module called Digitised Documents.
 

Students

From 2017-2018 you will be able to click through to digitised documents from the corresponding items in the Aspire Reading List.

• Find the Aspire Reading List in the left menu of your Blackboard module.
• You may need to enter your Aber username and password to access the first document you open

Staff

In the new process, links to digitised articles and chapters will be pasted directly into the corresponding items in the Aspire reading list by library staff who will then republish the list. Subsequently when a student clicks on the article or chapter in the Aspire reading list in Blackboard, they will click through directly to the digitised document.

This change is taking place on a rolling basis. If you publish a new reading list, or re-publish one for which nothing has been digitised for this academic year, it will get the new treatment. If you re-publish your list to get a few extra digitisations for a module that is currently running, library staff will add the readings to the existing Digitised Documents folder in the Blackboard module.
Module co-ordinators will want to bear this change in mind when updating Aspire lists for the new academic year, particularly where they may have added notes to students in the lists and/or in Blackboard referring students to the Digitised Documents folder. Follow these instructions to add further articles or chapters to Aspire lists for digitisation.
Contact your subject librarian or acastaff@aber.ac.uk 01970621896 if you have any questions or would like a quick demonstration.

Semester 2 deadline for Aspire reading lists: November 30th

Library staff are buying books and digitising now for modules being taught in Semester Two 2016-2017.
Reading lists for modules being taught in Semester 2 (or being taught over both semesters) must be added to Aspire, and existing Aspire lists must updated and republished, by the end of November or there is no guarantee that library materials and digitised documents will be available in time for teaching.

New: are you planning a reading list for a returning module? Check the reading list archive and let us know if you'd like a previously-published Aspire list retrieved for you to re-purpose.

Please contact your subject librarian if you have any questions about this.
You may find these links useful

• Step-by-step guide: Create and publish your Aspire reading lists
• FAQ: Update your existing Aspire reading list

Please contact your subject librarian or Academic Engagement acastaff@aber.ac.uk 01970621896 if you would like some training or a refresher. We're happy to visit at a time and place convenient for you.

Refresh/create your Aspire Reading Lists – new deadline for Semester 1

This is an early reminder to refresh your existing Aspire lists and create any new lists needed for the coming academic year.

The deadline for modules taught in Semester 1 (or taught over both semesters) is: July 31^st (a month later than last year)

The deadline for distance learning modules is: June 30^th

FYI the Semester 2 deadline remains at November 30^th.

Remember: you must add a note for library saying “Please digitise” for any chapter or article that needs digitising, even if has been digitised in the past, or they will not be digitised for 2016-2017. Then re-publish your Aspire list.

New: if your Aspire list has not been (re)published at any time in the 52 weeks prior to the deadline, any digitisations for that list will not be processed for 2016-2017.

New: if your module does not need a reading list e.g. a placement year, you can indicate this in Astra. This will ensure it is not counted when Information Services collates statistics about departmental usage of Aspire.

New: How to manage an Aspire list if the module code is changing

If you have created a draft list in Aspire and you can’t link it to the hierarchy, or you would like some Aspire training or a refresher, or you have a question about this blog: please contact the Academic Engagement librarians: 01970621896 acastaff@aber.ac.uk

Important: let us know what you need digitised

If your Aspire module reading list(s) contains chapters of books or journal articles that you want to appear in digitised form on BlackBoard you must add the phrase “Please Digitise” in the Note for library field.

The deadlines for adding/updating reading lists are

• Distance Learning: June 30th
• Semester One and modules taught over both semesters: July 31st
• Semester Two: November 30th

To add the Note for library in an existing list:

• Log in to Aspire
• Click My Lists
• Click on the list that you want to edit
• Click the Edit drop down menu and then click Edit list
• For each chapter or article needing digitisation, click Edit notes and importance

In the middle of the box that appears you will see the Note for library field.

• Type: Please digitise
• Click Save

Now republish your list.

Please find here instructions for adding chapters or articles to Aspire reading lists.

If you have any questions please contact the Academic Engagement librarians acastaff@aber.ac.uk / (0197062)1896.

Are you interested in a module? Why not take a look at the reading list

• Visit the Modules Information page
• Find the webpage for a module by searching for the module code or browsing by department
• If a reading list has been created for this module there will be a View on Aspire link to click on 

This will take you to the module reading list in Aspire for this academic year

N.B. If you are choosing modules for the next academic year, remember to check on the Modules Information page that the module you are interested in is running next year.

Semester 2 deadline for Aspire reading lists: November 30th

Library staff are buying books and digitising now for modules being taught in Semester Two 2015-2016.

Reading lists for modules being taught in Semester 2 (or being taught over both semesters) must be added to Aspire, and existing Aspire lists must updated and republished, by the end of November or there is no guarantee that library materials and digitised documents will be available in time for teaching.

Please contact your subject librarian if you have any questions about this.
You may find these links useful

• Step-by-step guide: Create and publish your Aspire reading lists
• FAQ: Update your existing Aspire reading list

Please contact your subject librarian or Academic Engagement acastaff@aber.ac.uk 01970621896 if you would like some training or a refresher. We're happy to visit at a time and place convenient for you.

Refresh your existing Aspire reading lists for the new academic year

Since the Reading List Copy on June 23rd you can see your current reading lists for the coming academic year (2015-2016) and last years' lists (2014-2015) when you click My Lists in Aspire.

• You can remove last years’ lists from My Lists
• Now please update and re-publish your current reading lists for the new academic year

Library staff will buy any new books and acquire any other new resources on your lists.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for adding your Semester 1 and long thin module lists to Aspire well in advance of the new academic year.

If you have any further questions or would like some training or an update on using Aspire then please e-mail us on acastaff@aber.ac.uk or call 1896.

Link your Aspire lists for new modules to the hierarchy, and publish!

We now have new module codes available for you in Aspire to link your reading lists to the hierarchy.

• If your reading list is currently in draft form in Aspire you can link it to the hierarchy
• Check that the correct year and semester have been applied - if not you can change them
• Now publish your list

Library staff will begin buying books and acquiring other resources for your reading list.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for adding your Semester 1 and long thin module reading lists to Aspire well in advance of the new academic year.

If you have any further questions or would like some training or an update on using Aspire then please e-mail us on acastaff@aber.ac.uk or call 1896.

Tuesday 30th June: Aspire Reading Lists deadline for Semester 1

Add your reading lists to Aspire for modules being taught in Semester 1 (or being taught both semesters) by June 30th to ensure there is sufficient time to buy books and digitise materials for Blackboard for the new academic year. 

Please contact your subject librarian or the Academic Services team acastaff@aber.ac.uk 01970621896 if you would like some one-to-one help to begin adding your lists to Aspire. Find self-paced training materials  here (help sheets, videos, a presentation and FAQs).

If you have already added your lists, use this checklist to update them ready for teaching and library resourcing.

Aspire Reading Lists goes live in AberLearn Blackboard!

You’ve done all the hard work, now here’s the pay-off. All those reading lists that you have published in Aspire can now be made available to your students in AberLearn Blackboard! How? Visit the module, uncheck the tick box next to the Aspire Reading List link in the left-hand menu and your list will be live.

So what will the students see? Blackboard displays an at-a-glance view of the reading list for that module. Not only that, but there is a traffic-light system that shows current availability in the library. Green means the item is on the shelf, red means it’s out on loan.



Is that all?! Absolutely not: Aspire offers features to display a range of resources such as week-by-week readings and YouTube videos.

And if that was not enough, there’s even the facility for the students themselves to interact with the reading list. By signing into Aspire they can add study notes and a read status for any item on their list. It all sounds good, doesn’t it; how did we manage without it?

Are you ready to join in and get your reading list on to Aspire? There’s no time like the present. If you need help or if you have any queries, suggestions or feedback, or would like to arrange some one-to-one training, please contact the Academic Services Librarians at acastaff@aber.ac.uk or on extension 1896.

Time to add your reading lists to Aspire!

To arrange library stock purchases for Semester 2, please add your module reading lists to the new online service Aspire Reading Lists.

Aspire training for staff is taking place in all departments but if you've been unable to attend or just need a little help to get started, please contact Academic Services acastaff@aber.ac.uk 01970621896

We're happy to visit you at your convenience or arrange to deliver additional training for groups.

Find self-paced training materials here (help sheets, videos, a presentation and FAQs).

Reading lists for Semester 2 must be added to Aspire by the end of term to ensure there is time to buy books and other learning materials.

For more about Aspire, visit the Reading Lists page and discover the advantages of Aspire for students and staff.

ARMS: read-only from Monday 13th October 2014

The ARMS reading list service will now go read-only from Monday 13th October - a little earlier than previously advertised.
Reading lists for Semester Two and beyond can be added to Aspire Reading Lists.

If you need to keep making changes to a Semester One list, you can save the list content to a text file or Excel spreadsheet.

• Text file: open your list in ARMS and on the left click Print List. In your browser, choose Save As or Save Page and choose the file type .txt
• Excel spreadsheet: open your list in ARMS and copy the URL. In a new Excel spreadsheet, click Data then From Web and paste the URL into the Address field. Scroll down and click the yellow arrow next to each field you wish to retain, then click Import.

Training for academic and administrative staff will be available in Hugh Owen and Thomas Parry libraries soon, or by arrangement at a place and time convenient to you.
Please feel free to contact the subject librarians with any questions you have: acastaff@aber.ac.uk

Talis Aspire at Aberystwyth: delivering reading lists online to support learning and teaching

Other universities have been discovering the benefits of the Talis Aspire online reading list service

• Staff at the University of Liverpool talk about their experiences of using Talis Aspire in this video
• In this video students at Nottingham Trent University give their first impressions of Talis Aspire

More news on the implementation of Talis Aspire at Aberystwyth

• Formal introduction will take place at the AU Teaching & Learning Conference September 16th-18th; why not come along to one of the conference workshops and give Talis Aspire try
• Training for academic and administrative staff will be available in Hugh Owen and Thomas Parry libraries during October and November, or by arrangement at a place and time convenient to you
• First reading lists to be entered in October/November for 2nd Semester modules 2014/2015 to allow time to purchase any items not in stock in the libraries or electronically

Any changes to procedures will be added to the existing Reading list web page. Please feel free to contact the subject librarians with any questions you have: acastaff@aber.ac.uk

Coming soon! A new AU reading list service supported by Talis Aspire

Talis Aspire is a reading list system designed to create accurately referenced, deep-linked resource lists available in Blackboard modules and other online locations.
Please take a look at this short video.
Planning for implementation is underway but some key milestones are as follows:

• Implementation: July
• Configuration and testing: August/September
• Training for academic and administrative staff: October
• First reading lists to be entered in October/November for 2nd Semester modules 2014/2015 to allow time to purchase any items not in stock in the libraries or electronically
• ARMS to remain available for editing until mid-November
• Existing users of ARMS will be advised that it won’t be possible to export their lists into Aspire, however they will be prioritised for training and assistance with using Aspire

There will be regular announcements to track project progress, and changes to procedures will be added to the existing Reading list web page.We look forward to showing you the new system as soon as we can! Please feel free to contact the subject librarians with any questions you have: acastaff@aber.ac.uk