Product: Talis Aspire
The Challenge
In 2019, the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) began reviewing its reading list and course reserves usage, discovering that the research and education library team was embedding resource links directly into Canvas and course reserves were primarily serving as textbook shelving locations. With limited usage across the institution, it highlighted a clear need to update and optimize its resource list and course reserves process.
By 2020, the urgency for an update grew as the Covid-19 pandemic limited access to print resources. In response, UNTHSC switched its library service platform to OCLC’s WMS and implemented its embedded course reserves module. Despite this change, adoption remained slow, with only three active reading lists by 2021, limited usage by students and ongoing copyright infringement issues. In 2022, the team began exploring alternative solutions and discovered that OCLC had partnered with Technology from Sage to offer Talis Aspire to WMS customers as a comprehensive resource list management and course reserves solution. Due to its integration with existing systems, copyright capabilities and course reserves functionality, it proved to be the solution that best fit their needs.
The Solution
By June 2022, UNTHSC had adopted Talis Aspire as their resource list management and course reserves system, which it branded internally as "List It." The library team understood that full institutional support was essential for a successful implementation, so by 2023 they collaborated with various teams across UNTHSC to make the launch of Talis Aspire a success.
They worked closely with instructional designers, providing training on Talis Aspire, emphasizing its importance, showcasing its capabilities for managing copyright and course reserves and stressing the importance of providing students immediate access to resources at the start of each course.
The Result
Adoption across the institution
By 2024, UNTHSC successfully launched Talis Aspire with a 1,333% increase in inactive reading list creation, rising from 3 to 43 lists. Of these, 38 course reading lists were created to ensure that students had access to all class resources from day one and are aware of which items are available as course reserves to avoid unnecessary purchases. Additionally, 5 reading lists now support campus initiatives, including a reading list for training programs across the institution.
Student savings and better insights into savings
Improved analytics was another welcomed benefit of Talis Aspire. The library team can now estimate savings by calculating the cost of each item students used in the course list. For one class alone, annual student savings exceeded $125,000.
Streamlined communication and copyright compliance
Talis Aspire also improved campus-wide communication, helping faculty and students understand reading lists, course reserves, content contracts, and copyright regulations, with copyright compliance now being nearly perfect across all courses.
Learning Points
The introduction of Talis Aspire has profoundly impacted academic workflows, strengthened interdepartmental collaboration, and improved support between departments, making collaboration an ongoing integrated process rather than a sporadic process. Faculty and staff are now better equipped to utilize course reading lists and course reserves effectively, with the library working closely with students to identify resource needs, leading to more informed collection development and ensuring resource availability when needed by students.
Talis Aspire has also had a measurable impact on student savings by reducing the need for students to purchase course materials individually. With clear access to essential resources through reading lists and course reserves, students can avoid unnecessary purchases, while the library can better track and estimate savings across courses.
Interested?
Find out more about Talis Aspire.
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