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Unit Outline Reference List Guideline

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Section 1 - Introduction

(1) The University Library and academic staff have a joint responsibility to ensure that library resources are readily available to support student learning in each unit of study.

(2) A unit outline must to be provided to each student enrolled in a unit by the end of the first lecture week. Such unit outlines are the ‘current edition’ of the unit outlines formally approved by Academic Board and customarily provide lists of relevant references to support learning in that unit.

(3) Ensuring that most of the references listed in unit outlines are available through the Library is an important measure of quality that promotes and supports teaching and learning at ACU. These references may take the form of printed material (including monographs, serials or books of readings), electronic publications, other non-book materials or websites.

(4) This Guideline applies to the “current editions” of Academic Board-approved unit outlines. Guidelines for reference lists for units proposed for approval by Academic Board are provided in the Course Accreditation and Amendment Procedure.

(5) Units taught in the online or off-campus mode cannot fall strictly into the pattern below, though the same principles apply. See Section 3 of this Guideline.

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Section 2 - Categories

(6) All references listed in current unit outlines are to be organised into the following categories as applicable. The categories are based on the availability of the references to students as follows.:

Category Availability Comments
Text(s) Must be available electronically or in the library at each campus where the unit is offered. Students are encouraged to purchase a personal copy of a commercial text or a Book of Readings or Workshop Manual produced for the unit unless it is available electronically.
Recommended References Must be available electronically or in the library at each campus where the unit is offered.  
Further References Available through the Library. Titles are available in one or more campus libraries, but not necessarily at all of the campuses where the unit is offered.
Extended Reading May be only available through libraries and collections outside ACU.  

(7) Many units are offered on more than one campus. The references listed in the unit outline and provided for such “cross-campus” units are normally to be the same. In some professional courses such commonality in the unit outlines of “cross-campus” units is a requirement for accreditation purposes.

Texts

(8) Students normally purchase a personal copy and at least one copy is available in the library of each campus where the unit is taught or is available electronically.

Recommended References

(9) All Recommended References are available in, or accessible electronically through, the library at each campus where the unit is taught.

(10) References listed as Recommended References may include:

  1. hard copy titles (including articles from journals);
  2. networked electronic titles provided by the Library (ejournals);
  3. access to an electronic copy placed on the digital library and accessible through ereserve or WebCT;
  4. reputable electronic resources from the internet accessible through the Library;
  5. a personal copy of the work (eg a copy owned by a lecturer) placed in the library at a campus where the unit is taught.

(11) For Recommended References, the mode of availability should be indicated in the unit outline, e.g. “In campus library”, “On library Course Reading” or “Access (through e-reserve or WebCT) to an electronic copy placed on the University’s copyright database”.

Further References

(12) Further References comprise titles particularly relevant to students who aspire to perform at an outstanding level, or who wish to explore a highly specialised aspect of a topic in depth.

(13) Further References must be available through the Library, but not necessarily at the campus where the unit is being offered. Where a title is available on more than one campus, the unit outline may indicate which of the campus libraries hold a copy.

(14) Further References may include:

  1. hard copy titles (including articles from journals);
  2. a personal copy of the work (e.g. a copy owned by a lecturer) placed in the library at one of the campuses where the unit is taught.

Extended Reading

(15) Occasionally lecturers, particularly in postgraduate units, may wish to provide an extended reading list for future consultation by students. These references are not necessarily available through the Library.

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Section 3 - Fully Online Units

(16) For online units the same principles apply as for units taught face-to-face: library resources must be readily available to support student learning in each unit of study. As units are delivered electronically (and they are not offered on individual campuses), the normal expectation is that resources will be available electronically rather than in campus libraries. The following variations to the Guidelines apply.

Category Availability Comments
Text(s) Must be readily available electronically or for purchase in a timely manner by students. If not available electronically one copy must be available in at least one campus library If a text is prescribed (a commercial text, a Book of Readings or a Workshop Manual) and is not available electronically, then students are encouraged to purchase this. The Library is unable to ensure ready provision of texts for online units.
Recommended References Must be available electronically. References may be e-books, or articles etc that have been published electronically, or may comprise digitised extracts from hard copy publications. They must all be available electronically through the Library, through the Copyright Database or must be freely available from the Internet. Lecturers must verify the availability of these references well in advance, particularly because of the need to observe Copyright Law.
Further References Available through the Library. Titles are available in one or more campus libraries. They may be available in print or electronic format. As with other references, the lecturer developing the unit is responsible for ensuring that the reference is available before listing it on the unit outline.
Extended Reading May be only available through libraries and collections outside ACU.  
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Section 4 - Managing Access to Titles Cited in Unit Outlines

(17) Lecturers may recommend specific readings (e.g. chapters of books or articles taken from titles in the Unit Reading List) to students for weekly classes, or for particular assignments. If these references are to material that is not part of the Library's collection, but has been made available to students in another way, this should be indicated (e.g. "In Book of Readings", "On ereserve", "On Course Reading").

(18) With the exception of books listed as Extended Reading, academic and Library staff should work together to:

  1. list in unit outlines books or other publications that are held currently in the Library or that can be purchased by the Library;
  2. ensure that titles required are ordered in sufficient time (a minimum of 6 – 8 weeks in advance) to ensure that they are available as indicated in the unit outline;
  3. maintain the currency and relevance of listed references;
  4. maximise access to high demand titles by (for instance):
    1. placing copies on Course Reading or Restricted Loan;
    2. inclusion of an extract on the Copyright Database for access through WebCT or ereserve;
    3. purchasing of an additional copy or copies of a title within the terms of the Library Services and Facilities Policy.