The length of a resource list varies according to discipline but generally lists shouldn’t be too long as this can be overwhelming for students and costly for the library to purchase.

Consider how much your students can realistically read or watch each week: 30-credit modules usually require approximately 300 hours of independent study. Resource lists are not intended to be bibliographies of a topic or subject.

Limit time-heavy key resources such as books to c.5 items per 30-credit module. Students have a limited amount of time to engage with long-form texts. The more essential items you have the less time they will have to engage in wider reading and research.

Where relevant and appropriate, it is good practice to direct students to specific chapters or sections of larger works.  Even if there is only one key text for the module it can be useful to break this down into specific chapters or pages to help guide students. If one chapter from a book is a key reading, the library can arrange for it to be digitised through the scanning service if the book is not already available in electronic format. You might want to consider breaking the list down into topics or week-by-week sections.  If there are key resources for the entire module, make sure these go at the top of the list. 

It can help students to manage and plan their research if you mark the reading level of the resources. Please use the following categories:

• Key – These are essential resources which the module is structured around, or vital readings for a specific week (for example, a literature or media module with a different text or film to be discussed each week). For books, we recommend no more than 5 key resources per module.
• Suggested – These are useful resources which students are encouraged to engage with but are not obligatory readings. This might include cases where two or three different texts are equally useful for a subject area, or where guidance is offered about the most useful resources for students to explore.
• Wider research – These are additional resources for further exploration of the topic. As such, these could be books, articles or videos framed as wider research , or prompts for independent study such as databases or primary source collections.

In addition to helping students manage their time and plan their studies, indicating the reading level helps the library to know how many copies of a book we need to purchase or what licence is needed for an e-book. Any books that do not have a reading level set will be treated as ‘wider research’ by the library and will not be purchased in multiple copies/licences.

The library will purchase digital-first whenever possible to maximise access and will purchase the latest editions of books unless you have contacted us about the need for an earlier edition or print copies.

Resource lists are often made up largely of books, but as these are time-heavy to use we recommend limiting the number of key books on a list to around 5 items per 30-credit module.

To help facilitate the widest access possible the library’s preference is to buy digital rather than physical resources, so will buy e-books where affordable and where suitable licences are available.

It is usual to purchase the latest editions of a book unless we are instructed to do otherwise. If you require an earlier edition, please contact your Learning & Research Librarian.

Out of print books are not usually purchased, but if an out-of-print book is a key resource please contact your Learning & Research Librarian and we will try to source it.

The different reading levels have different purchasing guidelines for books:

• Key: Digital-first when possible, multiple licences for e-books purchased. Minimal print purchased if digital licences available. Multiple print copies are purchased if no digital copies are available,
• Suggested: Digital-first, multiple licences purchased. Number of print copies purchased reduced (if any print copies required).
• Wider research: 1 digital or print copy purchased.

There is an extensive online journal collection available via LibrarySearch. You can search for individual articles or use BrowZine to search for journals on a subject. Most journals are available digitally, but some titles and older articles may only be available in print. If the article you need is only available in print, the library can arrange for it to be digitised through the scanning service. If you need an article or journal that is not available, please talk to your Learning & Research Librarian. 

Resource lists are often predominantly built from books or articles, but you might want to consider adding other formats such as multimedia, which support a variety of learning preferences and can be beneficial for sensory-impaired or neurodiverse users.   

Here are some examples of other formats that could be included:  

• Films, which are available through streaming service Kanopy (access via LibrarySearch) or as physical DVDs  
• TV and radio content which is available via Box of Broadcasts (access via LibrarySearch) 
• Short-form videos (e.g., YouTube/TedTalks) or podcasts from thought leaders in the field.  
• Digital primary sources, such as archival newspaper articles (through Lexis+ Newspapers UK or Gale Primary Sources via LibrarySearch), or artefacts in our special collections and archives (e.g., see LLR’s collections)  

For subject-specific inspiration look at the subject guide for your area or contact your librarian.