Readings Online Service

Readings Online strives to provide a service that will be of value to both staff and students.

Our key aim is to provide resources to students so they have the flexibility of access 24/7, while ensuring the University meets its copyright obligations. The legislative requirements make it necessary for materials made available by Readings Online to be delivered via an authenticating system. Learning management systems used on campus are authenticating systems and include: LMS, WebRAFT and Top Class. Click any of those links for assistance with the named system.

In brief:

• Academics first make an Expression of Interest to use Readings Online.
• Academics will be contacted and asked to provide a reading list to Readings Online via spreadsheet to ensure all required information is included.
• These readings are sourced (via electronic databases or scanned) and then entered into a subject list on DigiTool (digital asset manager).
• The academic is provided with a SuperSearch facility for their LMS subject.

The major benefit for academics is that materials they request from Readings Online will be delivered online complete with the appropriate copyright notices and automatically registered with the Copyright Office. If you intend to use third party copyright materials online that have not been requested through Readings Online, please visit the Copyright Office web site and register them.

Getting involved

First, ensure you have completed an Expression of Interest. If eligible, you will be contacted and asked to complete this spreadsheet and email it as an attachment to readings-online@ unimelb.edu.au The spreadsheet option is the preferred method for establishing a readings list.

For a single item simply fill in the online form and press the submit button to send to Readings Online. This option will be used most frequently when adding an item to an existing reading list.

Please note: Take care when completing the information on the form or spreadsheet as incorrect information or an incomplete form may result in a delay in processing, or may result inthe the incorrect item being processed.

What happens behind the scenes

A library staff member will confirm receipt of the request via email.

Requested resources are initially searched out from online sources available to University of Melbourne including DigiTool (the digital asset manager), electronic journal searches and the Internet.

If unavailable electronically, where possible the resource will be sourced in hard copy, scanned and stored on a central server.

In both of these examples, the academic will then be sent an email containing the html code of a search box that can be added to LMS or WebRAFT pages so that students may access the resource.

Delivering resources to students

If using WebRAFT: the academic can add the html code of the search box directly to any WebRAFT page to allow students to search for online resources using the subject code.

If using LMS: the academic can put instructions and the address of a URL onto a page so that students may copy the address and paste it into another browser window, then enter the subject code to search for online resources.

Information on how to do both of these processes will be supplied in the email sent to the academic requesting the resources. If you require further assistance modifying your learning management system page please ask your local IT support group else visit the LMS web pages for more information.

Copyright restrictions

Due to copyright regulations in some instances it will not be possible to put online the requested resource. The requesting staff member will be notified of this and as a last resort may be asked to nominate an alternate resource.

For more information on Copyright at the University of Melbourne please visit: http://www.unimelb.edu.au/copyright/

How long does it take?

All requests are acknowledged withing two working days and processed as quickly as possible. However, incomplete information when filling in a request form, submitting large numbers of requests and submitting at peak periods (a month prior to, and the first few weeks of, semester) will result in delays.

Because of this we strongly encourage the submission of requests well in advance of the beginning of semester. We also recommend that the most urgently required items of your submission are indicated so that these can be given priority treatment where possible.

What if I want to do it myself?

Follow this link for DIY information.