This document discusses creating a resource list tool to help academics build high-quality lists with minimal effort. The tool would solve problems like saving time and reducing workload, while improving the student experience. It would provide appropriate guidance to students and help ensure the right resources are available. The proposed solution is a tool that allows academics to easily discover, collect, and build resource lists that can then be published. This helps focus library efforts on acquiring resources and allows students to more easily access relevant content for learning.
15. Conclusion INFO ONLY Provide a resource list tool for academics to build high quality lists That’s easy to use, minimal effort and supports their work patterns That allows the library to focus on getting the stock in That allows students to focus on getting to the content they are guided to...and learning!
This presentation contains screenshots & notes that new customers can use to introduce Talis Aspire.It is primarily of use for those customers who are still implementing, are putting together a presentation to promote Aspire and don’t have anything to take screenshots from!However, it may also be of use for customers who have implemented to show a simple demo path with key benefits highlighted.You may choose to directly use the slides provided, or insert these slides/images into another presentation The “INFO ONLY” logo (top-right) are for slides which provide some additional context for preparing a presentation. Presenters can easily remove these if they want to use these slides themselves.
The next few slides provide ONE approach to introducing the demo that you may want to consider.Alternatively, you may want to take some of these points and incorporate them into whatever context you choose to place the screenshots within.
Talis Aspire is NOT a tool which just considers the library.It was designed in collaboration with all three parties for whom resource lists impact – academics, students and the library.
The presenter may want to highlight specific or alternative problems and goals, depending on their audience.Of the examples given, many came from dozens of workshops with interested parties.Academic: To teach! Save time, reduce effort – Many demands on academics time. Needs to also fit their workflows. Improve student experience Provide appropriate guidance – How to use the resource most effectively, “why I want you to use this”. Also guidence in setting students expectations on the quality/type of resources they should utilise when they step beyond the list to discover resources themselvesLibrarian: Get right stock at right time - The core of why the library cares about resource lists. Reduced administrative burden - collecting, replicating lists – all high admin with little benefit to users. Utilise professional skills to support users - By reducing admin, can bring professional skills to bear. Subject support, info skills, etc.Student: “To learn! Just “get to the resource” – Minimal pain to get to the content, either physical or electronic (and a printed word list doesn’t provide this) Right resource, right time – Want reassurance/confidence that using the right resources to support their learning, at right time (want to be effective in their studies) Understand context – Want to know how to use the resource, understand lecturers expectations, why the resource is there.
Pose the question...
The scenario that has most immediate interest to the widest audience is building a resource list. This also has a high impact when presenting to potential Talis Aspire adopters, and is easy for a presenter with limited experience of Talis Aspire to explain confidently.Tip: Notice the phrase “resource list” (over reading list!). This distinction allows the presenter to discuss the wide variety of resources that are available on the wider internet (and intranet) beyond the traditional list of books and articles.
Before the presenter walks through the basic “build a list” screens/workflow, it is useful to summarise these four steps to give context.Building lists in Talis Aspire is a 4-step process:DISCOVER: The process of finding resources on the web which the user may want to include on a resource listCOLLECT: The process of “bookmarking” these – in effect, putting them in a “pot” for future useBUILD: The process of dragging and dropping resource from that “pot” onto a work area to build a resource listPUBLISH: The process of publishing the list, which ensures the library and students find out about it
Comment: It should be possible to demonstrate this scenario in 5 mins, 10 at the most!Comment: The screenshots are “3d’d”. You can easily remove this from the home tab in Powerpoint 2007, under “Shape effects” and select “None” under “presets”. Comment: The screenshots used are from the Talis Aspire demo system, referred to as “Broadminster University”. To avoid confusion when showing these screens, the presenter may want to explain to attendees that the screenshots are taken from a demo system and that Aspire will be institutionally branded when it is provided. Alternatively, if your tenancy is up-and-running, why not take the same set of screenshots but follow the suggested (or a similar) path?
The home page of Talis Aspire.
Before a list creator can build their resource list, they need to discover and collect resources.
To prepare for this, a simple “bookmarklet button” or “link” is added to your browser.There is a tutorial for this...but its a VERY simple process which takes just a few seconds!!!
The result of installing the bookmarklet tool is to provide an “Add to My Bookmarks” link on the list creators browser. This may be in the “Links” toolbar, or in their favourites – whatever is your preference.Once this is available, you are ready to start discovering and collecting.Note: This only needs to be installed once. It can be added to any PC (including home PC). When the user logs in, it will automatically ensure any items they collect go to their bookmarks.
The first place to DISCOVER from is the library catalogue.Once you’ve found a resource, click the “Add to My Bookmarks” which you installed previously
You now COLLECT this resource.The book data auto-populates the fields, saving you (ie the lecturer) time.Click “Create” and the user is returned back to the library catalogue (or whatever webpage they were on, allowing the user to carry on working with minimal interuption)Presenter Note: You may want to duplicate the previous slide (of the OPAC) after this one, if you are tryign to give the impression of a “semi-live” demo.
REPEAT SLIDE
You may DISCOVER journals or articlesNote: The presenter may wish to describe the typical e-resource discovery mechanism for their institution, with which their audience is familiar.
This is COLLECTED in the same wayPresenter Note: Tit may be worth stating that the article data is also harvested, including page start, page end, volume, issue, etc.
REPEAT SLIDE
In fact, you can bookmark anything you want!!!Presenter Note: You may want to extend these examples
All the resources you DISCOVER and COLLECT are held within Talis Aspire in “My Bookmarks”.Tip: Presenters may want to mention the two primary academic workflows here. “This means that (a) these resources can be collected one at a time, over many months (b) they can be collected all in one go. The end result is a pot of resource in your bookmarks which you can use to begin building your resource lists.
Once you have COLLECTED the resources, you are ready to build your list. This is the fun part!
The My Lists page shows all the lists you have created.After clicking on “Create a new list”, you provide a list name and, optionally, a short introduction to your list
You are immediately taken to the list work area (shown on the left), ready to start building.On the right, you can see the bookmarks you have COLLECTED.To build your list, you just drag them across into the list workarea. Note: The presenter may wish to explain that this doesn’t take the bookmark out of the list. It’s available and re-usable every time a new list gets built.
The first thing I’m going to drag on is a new section.I enter the details, and say ok.
The new section is created.You can add as many sections as you want, as well as drag new sections inside existing. For example, and could add some new sections inside my “Core Reading” to indicate time (week 1, week 2) or subject (Business, marketing, etc). In most cases though, you’ll have just a few high-level sections.Presenter Note: You may want to mention the Table of Contents, which dynamically builds and updates as sections are added.
I have now dragged the two resources I bookmarked earlier into my section.My list is ready to be published!
The scenario that has most interest to the widest audience is building a resource list. This also has a high impact when presenting to potential Talis Aspire adopters, and is easy for a presenter with limited experience of Talis Aspire to explain confidently.Tip: Notice the phrase “resource list” (over reading list!). This distinction allows the presenter to discuss the wide variety of resources that are available on the wider internet (and intranet) beyond the traditional list of books and articles.
The final step is to publish your list.When you publish your list, the VLE is updated and it is immediately available to the student. In addition, the library gets notified so the lecturer can be confident that the resources will all be thorougly checked and acquired where possible
I’m going to finish by including one final thing. One great facility within Aspire is the ability to “Create and Add to List”.What this means is that when I bookmark something (see screen) I can choose to add the item direct to a resource list...without opening that list. I just say which list, where about in that list I want it placed, and click OK. I can even add a study note to the student, or a comment to the library!Try doing that with Microsoft Word!!!