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Teachers' LibGuide: Acquiring library resources

Reading list policy

Adding readings to Aspire Reading Lists is the sole method by which teaching staff can request books and other learning materials for taught modules. Please add your module reading lists to Aspire by these deadlines to ensure that books and other learning materials can be sourced by AU library staff before teaching begins. AU library staff will then check, buy and digitise items for library stock according to the Reading List Policy.

Why can't I digitise the readings for my module?

Please do not upload a personally digitised chapter or article into your Blackboard module. You can request chapters and articles to be digitised after you have added them to your Aspire reading list. 

Library staff will ensure that all scanned chapters from books and articles from journals comply fully with the terms and conditions of the Copyright Licensing Agency Higher Education (CLA HE) licence. Library staff will also ensure compliance by creating professional and high quality scanned extracts and uploading links of the digital copy directly to the Aspire reading list.

Email the Digitisation Service at digitisation@aber.ac.uk if you require further information or assistance with your digitisation requests.

More information can be found on Digitisation Service webpage.

Can the Library buy an e-book for my module?

If you want an e-book for your course, ensure you add it to your Aspire reading list with the importance set to Essential.

Whether the Library can buy one for your module depends on:

  • Whether the title is available to purchase with an institutional license. For example, the Library cannot buy a Kindle book for a module as they are not licensed to share. Even when the Library can buy an e-book and share it, there may be a limit on how many students can access the e-book at the same time
  • How much it costs. Many e-books required are so expensive that they cannot be routinely purchased. Find out more at the Campaign to investigate the academic e-book market, better known as #ebooksos