Electronic Resources in the Virtual Learning

partnership with academic staff’ to improve procedures for acquiring
new learning resources.
Library projects in the VLE
There have been a number of library projects at Sheffield that seek to
integrate electronic resources into the VLE. The focus of this case study
is the introduction of online reading lists. However, this is one of a
number of library initiatives which include:
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Electronic Resources in the Virtual Learning Environment
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the development and roll-out of online reading lists with full-text links
using the reading list management system TalisList, including their
integration into WebCT;
■
an electronic offprint (electronic coursepack) pilot service;
■
access to electronic resources through the university portal, Muse;
■
updating web pages and subject guides to fit the new content
management system;
■
online information skills tutorials to be delivered within WebCT.
The LibCT project
In the UK higher education community there has been considerable
interest in resource list management systems. The interest was partly
driven by the publication of a report from the DELIVER Project,
comparing two commercial systems with an open source solution
(Harris, 2003b). A number of universities decided to purchase a resource
list management system following this report. However, the reading list
project at Sheffield University was launched back in 2001. The
University of Sheffield was already using Talis for its library
management, therefore they chose to investigate and subsequently
purchase the TalisList product soon after its launch. The project began
in Autumn 2001 and was known as LibCT (Stubley, 2002a, 2002b). It
was funded by the University of Sheffield Learning and Teaching
Development Fund, and sought to explore the feasibility of integrating
reading lists into WebCT, through the use of TalisList.
TalisList, like other resource list systems, enables links to be provided
not just to printed material in the Library catalogue, but also to websites,
full-text articles, chapters from e-books, handouts or PowerPoint slides
created by the lecturer. This material is coordinated in a structured way.
The system includes the facility to prioritise items, include annotations
and organise the reading list to match the course format (e.g. by
relevance of text, by week or seminar). The term ‘resource list’ is often
used in place of reading list, as it represents a move away from a
traditional paper reading list that contains books in the library, to an
integrated approach to providing access to learning resources in
whatever format.
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Case studies and practical examples
User needs
Before launching the system, the team conducted research using in-depth
interviews with a group of teaching staff who had experience of using
WebCT. The research explored how the traditional concept of a reading
list had altered in the online environment. It found that teaching staff
wanted resources to be made available in a way that enabled students to
work equally effectively in both the electronic and the traditional library
environment. The tutors were also keen that the library should provide
as many electronic readings as possible. The research raised a number of
practical issues, including the need by lecturers to update a reading list
to reflect any last-minute changes. This contrasts with the library’s
request for lists to be submitted at least three months before the start of
the course to cope with ordering and processing new material, in
addition to the substantial workloads associated with processing the
reading lists.