Unit of Study Readings: Introduction

COVID-19 IMPORTANT UPDATE for Semester 2, 2020 Unit of Study Reading Lists

Due to the physical closure of libraries, limited access to collections and social distancing measures during the COVID-19 health emergency, there have been some changes to how the unit of study service operates. In preparation for online learning for Semester 2, 2020 the Library is anticipating an increased demand for digitization of physical items. For physical items in the collection, where we are unable to find an electronic equivalent, we may be able to supply these under the flexible dealing exception (Section 200AB). However, dependent on demand, there may be limits applied to the amount copied per course and it is anticipated there will be a delay to supplying these items.

To help us prepare, and to ensure students have access to required coursework material, we are asking you to urgently assess your Semester 2 unit of study list to ensure that items on your list are accessible to students in a non-physical format. The University Library has an extensive electronic collection including journals, ebooks and other digital resources. Unless electronically available, new material cannot be ordered by the Library. Your Academic Liaison Librarian will be able to assist you with finding alternative resources or suggest what Library’s Information Digital Literacy resources are available. We look forward to working with you to make your lists more accessible to students and to support online learning for Semester 2, 2020.

View all library COVID-19 updates.

The University Library makes available the essential items your students require for their studies. This may be through creating an electronic link or by adding physical items to one of our 2 hour loan collections.

The eReserve system

The eReserve system provides an automated, user friendly approach for academic and library staff to discover, organise and annotate reading list items. It will streamline the entry, copyright compliance and ongoing maintenance of your reading lists. Your reading lists will be conveniently located and accessible within your Unit of Study module/s in Canvas.  This means students will find their readings on Canvas. Readings are no longer on the Library catalogue.

eReserve is an intuitive system, however attending one of our training sessions is highly recommended for all Unit of Study coordinators. The training will:

•          Show you how the new system works and how to maintain your reading list. 
•          Show you both the academic and student views for your reading lists
•          Share reading list good practice

If you are interested in learning more please contact your Academic Liaison Librarian. 

You will receive an e-mail notification from library.uos@sydney.edu.au to remind you to start working on your list for the upcoming semester.

There are two methods of getting a reading list added to eReserve:

Fast Track Process

• Roll over - The eReserve program allows you to copy a previous instance of a reading list, modify it to reflect the semesters needs, and make it available to students.  You are also able to add or delete readings plus reorder your list.
• New Lists -  The Library can continue to add your reading lists (see below), however if you would like to speed up the process, you can self-manage and add to your list.
• If you need to create a new list, please follow the steps on this guide. You can contact library.uos@sydney.edu.au for assistance or your Academic Liaison Librarian to book a training session.  

Library Assisted

• The library can assist you in adding your readings into eReserve
• Fill out our online form and attach your reading lists. You will need a current Unikey to access the form. If you don’t have a Unikey, please email your list to library.uos@sydney.edu.au.
• Mac users may experience errors when using Safari on OSX with this form. Please use Firefox or Google Chrome. If you experience problems, please contact the library.

Items that need to be ordered for the library collection

• Please send these directly to library.uos@sydney.edu.au clearly identified as it takes a minimum of 6-8 weeks to acquire new material.