LaSU - FAQs

LaSU is the University of Salford’s online reading list system.

From each module reading list, you can link directly to the library catalogue, electronic resources and web-sites. Not only can students see which reading list material is recommended by their tutors, but they can also check the availability of paper-based resources and quickly access electronic material, such as e-books and online journals, without the need to search separate systems.

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LaSU is the primary method for requesting new items for library stock.

Once an item is added to LaSU, the title is checked against library holdings and if necessary, an order is generated to purchase (or digitise) the item. Items are purchased in accordance with the number of students studying the module and the section of the reading list the item has been placed in. For example, should an item be placed under the heading ‘Students Expected to Purchase’ this would dictate the number of copies of an item we would buy. We would follow the pre-agreed formula for items placed in that section and order accordingly. This ensures that the library holds the required material in sufficient quantities for your students.

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LaSU can be accessed online at http://lasu.salford.ac.uk or by the LaSU/Reading Lists link on the University Staff and Student Channels.

Students can use the Browse or Search buttons to locate their module reading lists. They can also access the list directly from the BlackBoard module using the reading list link.

To edit the content of a reading list, you will need to log into the system. To do this:

• Click on Edit Reading Lists.
• When prompted enter in your University username and password.
• Click on Manage Lists to display a list of all the module reading lists assigned to your account.
• Open the individual list by clicking on the appropriate module title.

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If you are a new member of staff or have not used the system before, you will need administration rights before you can log in. Please contact the Reading List team (Library-Readinglists@salford.ac.uk), who can arrange this for you. You will need to supply details of your username, school as well as details of the module reading lists you require access rights to, including the BlackBoard code if known (i.e. xx-xxxx-xxxxx-13).

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Ownership of reading lists can be amended within editing mode using the ‘Edit lists & staff’ option.

If you require editing rights to a particular list that has not been assigned to you, the existing owner of the list can add you. To do this:

• Open the relevant reading list in editing mode.
• Click on Edit list and staff.
• Manually inputting your details into the Add New Owner section and clicking on Add.

If there is no existing owner, please contact the Reading List team at Library-Readinglists@salford.ac.uk.You will need to send details of the module, including the Blackboard code (i.e. xx-xxxx-xxxxx-13).

If a reading list has been incorrectly assigned to your account or you are no longer owner of a list:

• Open the relevant reading list in editing mode.
• Click on Edit list and staff.
• Locate your details and click on Delete.

If known, please add the details of the new owner to LaSU before closing the list. You will need the new owner’s username, email address and name to do this.

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All new reading lists default to ‘unpublished’ setting so they can be edited without students being able to view the work in progress. Whilst unpublished, the public view of LaSU displays the module title and a note stating the list will be ‘Published Soon’. Students will be unable to view the content of the list.

Once a reading list has been edited, it must be made ‘live’ (published) before it can be viewed. To check if a list has been published, open the list in editing mode and look at the menu bar. If the ‘Publish’ option is available, this indicates a list is currently unpublished.

To publish a list:

• Open the reading list
• Select Publish from the menu bar

You may wish to unpublish a reading list while you make any amendments. To do this, simply click on ‘Don’t Publish’. Please remember to publish the list again once any changes are completed.

Once you have added items to either a ‘published’ or an ‘unpublished’ list the Reading List team will receive alerts detailing all amendments made and will order accordingly. Please note that unpublished lists are still active lists and are not test areas. Therefore any item you add, regardless of whether it is subsequently removed, will be ordered by the Reading List Team.

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Firstly you will need to check SOLAR to see if we have copies of the item already in stock. If we do have copies in stock you will need to use the ISBN number from SOLAR when adding it to your reading list. Adding the ISBN and clicking ‘Get Bibliographic Details’ automatically populates the fields with bibliographic data. If we do not have the item in stock, you will need the details of the book including, author, year, title, edition, publisher and ISBN. To add an item to your reading list you need to:

• Open your reading list after logging in
• Locate the section you want to add the item to
• Click on Append item at the point above where you want to add your item
• Fill in the page with as many of the details of the item you have available including an ISBN number if you have one
• Click Submit

The Reading List team will receive an alert to say the list has been amended and will order items according to the reading list formula. Please note, the Reading List team will always check for, and order, the latest edition available unless you have requested that they purchase a specific, earlier edition. Such requests can be made by adding a Note/Private note on the edit screen. Similarly the team will always check for e-book availability and order accordingly.

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The number of copies ordered will depend on the formula that has already been pre-agreed between the school and The Library. Likewise, the loan types ordered will follow the pre-agreed formula. Not all formulas are the same and differ according to a variety of factors, for example student numbers, etc. The formula can be found in the Reading List Policy document.

Please contact your Academic Support Librarian if you have any queries regarding the formula.

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Journal articles are added in exactly the same way as books, except that you need to complete a few extra fields on the form. In the title field you need to enter the full journal title. You will also need to complete the chapter/article title box the chapter/article author box and the volume, issue and page number boxes. If we have the journal in stock electronically, a link will appear overnight to the electronic journal. If The Library does not have a journal article in stock you will need to complete the fields on the form with as many of the details you have and we will order a digitised copy of the article. To do this, simply tick the digitise box on the edit screen. The digitised item will then be added to your BlackBoard module.

Please note: The Library must adhere to Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) regulations when digitising materials. Further information about this can be found at www.infogov.salford.ac.uk/copyright/clalicence

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The standard number of items that can be put on a reading list is as follows:

• Purchased by student Up to: 3 titles
• Core reading (monographs): Up to 5 titles
• Core reading (digitised journals/articles):As appropriate and within the CLA guidelines
• Further reading: Up to 10 items (including AV items)

Further information about this can be found in the Reading List Policy.

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Check that your name has been assigned to the list. If the list is in a colleague’s name and your name isn’t on the list (this can happen when a module is taught jointly) your colleague will be able to give you editing rights by adding you.

To do this:

• Open the relevant reading list in editing mode.
• Click on Edit list and staff.
• Enter your details into the Add New Owner section and click on Add.

If your name has been assigned to the list and you still are unable to it, you will need to contact the Reading List team for further assistance.

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Yes. To do this:

• Open the relevant reading list in editing mode.
• Click on Edit list and staff.
• Input their details into the Add New Owner section and click on Add.

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Yes. To do this:

• Open the relevant reading list in editing mode.
• Click on Edit list and staff.
• Click on the Delete button corresponding to the individual being removed.

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To set up a new list, you will need the Blackboard module code (i.e. xx-xxxx-xxxxx-13) as well as the full title of the Module. From the reading list management area:

• Click on Create New List
• Edit the screen that appears – enter the Module Code, the Module Name, the Semester, Your Name and Your Email
• Click on Submit Module Details
• Click on Manage List to begin adding items to the reading list

Please contact the Reading List team if you have any problems once you have set up your list.

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All new reading lists default to ‘unpublished’ setting so they can be edited without students being able to view the work in progress. While unpublished, the public view of LaSU displays the module title and a note stating the list will be ‘Published Soon’. Students will be unable to view the content of the list.

When you are ready to make your reading list ‘live’ so that the students can see it, you need to:

• Open the reading list
• Select Publish

Please note that unpublished lists are still active lists and are not test areas. Therefore any item you add, regardless of whether it is subsequently removed, will be ordered by the Reading List Team.

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Yes, you can. To do this, you need to use the Append function. This allows copies of individual entries to be replicated within the same list or added to a different one. You can use it for:

• Creating duplicate entries for items i.e. core texts that are repeatedly referenced in weekly readings
• To attach the same reading list to several modules

To do it:

• Open your reading list
• Select the item(s) to be copied by ticking the box next to them. If you are copying a complete list you can select the ‘select all’ option to move all items together at once.
• Type in the module code in the box at the top of the list, in the empty box next to the Append selected to module tab
• Click on Append selected to module tab

You can also move items about within a list, say for example should you wish to move certain items from one section of a list to another. To do this you need to use the ‘Rerank selected to’ option. To make use of this, tick the item you want to move, enter the number where you would like to move the item to in the box at the top of the list next to the ‘Rerank selected to’ button. Then click on ‘Rerank selected to’ and the item will move.

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Links to books we have in stock should be automatically created when using the ISBN of the book. Links for e-journals and e-journal articles that we have in stock, will be created overnight when using the ISSN. If these links do not work, firstly check that you have added the correct details (ISBN/ISSN). Spaces and dashes should not be included in ISBN/ISSNs.

For links to websites that you have entered, again check that you have entered the correct URL. You could also check that the page hasn’t expired or moved. You could try re-adding the webpage link if this is the case. If you have tried all of the above and are still encountering problems, please contact the Reading List Team for assistance.

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You can add a note either when you create the record on LaSU or after you have created a record. To do this at the time you are creating the record:

• Add your notes in the Notes field (please note: the Private Notes field is for notes for yourself or for the Reading List Team, e.g. if you wanted a certain edition purchasing. Anything that goes in the Notes field is what the students will see on the ‘live’ list).
• Click Submit Item

To add a note to a record you have already created:

• Find the item on the reading list
• Click on Edit Item next to the title
• Add your note to the Notes field
• Click Submit Item

Remember, the Reading List Team can digitise one chapter per book as long as we do not hold it electronically. This will enable all students to access the chapter via BlackBoard.

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You can add extra headings or notes to your reading list. Reading list level notes are added as a separate field in the overall structure of the reading list. They can be used to add general information about the reading list, but are also used to add new headings if additional sections (i.e. Weekly Readings) are required. To add a heading or a note:

• Open reading list
• Click on the Append note tab above where you want the note/heading to appear
• Complete the text box, making sure they are in bold to stand out as headings
• Click on Submit note

Please note, extra headings must only be added within the existing set headings (Students Expected to Purchase, Core Reading, etc) in order for us to be able to apply the purchasing formula. Extra headings must not replace the existing headings.

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You can link to television programmes in Box of Broadcasts. A user guide is available. Access it from SOLAR, then choose Find Databases, then choose from the A-Z list. You’ll need your Athens username and password to access it. When you’ve found a suitable programme for your teaching purposes, copy the URL of the programme and paste it into the URL field of the Online Resources e-form in LaSU. You can add some more descriptive detail about the programme, and it is recommended that you also add a note to say that students will need their Athens details to access the film, and that use is restricted to the UK only.

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The easiest way to enter items on LaSU is using the ISBN. This will enter all the information for that book into the appropriate fields on LaSU. This information is populated from SOLAR, the library’s catalogue system. The library catalogue uses cataloguing standards, rather than referencing standards and therefore, does not follow any standard referencing format when the information is pulled through. Students should be advised that when using this information, they will need to amend it in line with the Universities referencing guidelines.

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Yes, this is a great way to ensure that all the students on your module will be able to access a particular book chapter or journal article.

You can request for items to be digitised via LaSU. Please click in the ‘digitise’ check box when entering the item details. When items have been digitised they will become available on the BlackBoard module site.

Whilst the University holds a licence which allows the digitisation of published works, there are some restrictions. The main conditions are as follows:

• The material, or a copyright fee paid copy of the material must be owned by the University.
• Only one book chapter per edition or one journal article per issue may be scanned.

The Library can apply to the British Library to obtain copyright cleared materials that the University does not currently have in stock.

Please note: The Library will not digitise materials already held electronically.

More information can be found on the Information Governance web pages.

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If notification is sent for a module which does not require a reading list, please tick the Not Required option in the Edit List & Staff link.

Reading lists which are not required in the short term can be stored as archived files rather than left as unpublished or deleted. Archive lists can only be viewed by the list owner and will not be visible using the Browse/Search function.

To do this:

• Click on Edit List & Staff
• This will open the Edit Reading List screen.
• Select the Archive option
• Click on Update Reading List to confirm the changes.

The Edit Reading List screen will refresh with a message confirming the list has been updated.

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To ensure resources are available for your reading lists they need to be added/amended by the following dates:

• Semester 1 reading lists: 31st July
• Semester 2 and Semester 3 reading lists: 30th November

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The Reading List team will contact all list/module owners periodically with notifications that their reading list require updating.

• If notification is sent for a module which does not require a reading list, please tick the Not Required option.
• If a reading list does not require further editing, please tick the No Edits Required option.

These options can be accessed via the Edit List & Staff in the module list on LaSU.

This will prevent further automated reminders from being sent.

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