Academic libraries are central to ensuring students get access to the books, articles and other resources they need for their course. A Resource List Management System (RLS) is the library’s greatest asset in managing this task; whether the institution uses Talis Aspire (our RLS that fully integrates with any library system), our new Talis CourseFlow offering that helps North American libraries better manage course reserves, or another RLS.
But how can institutions further enhance the digital learning experience within resource lists, while improving efficiency for faculty and students?
Meet Talis Engage
Talis Engage is a new built-in digital resource reader and social annotation feature available in both Talis Aspire and Talis CourseFlow. Designed to support collaboration, boost engagement, and streamline content access, Talis Engage keeps students focused — all within their course resource list.
Talis Engage transforms the resource lists built on Talis Aspire or Talis CourseFlow into interactive learning spaces. It enables faculty to upload additional teaching materials (whether their lecture slides, PDFs, images or other file types) directly into their resource lists, while checking for copyright compliance. Students then get streamlined access to these resources via the new digital resource reader, and can make personal or collaborative annotations directly in materials, to empower active learning and group discussions.
A Simple Workflow, Engaging Students Within Reading Lists
Talis Engage is embedded into the usual user experience within resource lists on the Talis Aspire and Talis CourseFlow platforms. This means that faculty can engage students where they know they already are — without the need for additional engagement or teaching tools.
This gives both faculty and students a simple workflow:
- Upload & Copyright Check: Faculty can upload files and learning materials directly into their reading list, with options to check copyright against CCC or CLA as they do so.
- Access: Students access these resources from alongside other resources in their reading lists, and view them in the Talis Engage digital resource reader.
- Engage: Students can add personal notes or collaborate with peers via shared comments, directly on the materials in the reader.
- Download: Students can also download materials for offline access, allowing students to study on any device, even without an internet connection.
All the while, Talis Engage keeps the library at the heart, with options for librarians to require copyright checks on resources that faculty upload, and usage insights into student engagement and commenting available in Talis Advanced MIS.
Read on to learn more about the key features and what they look like in action.
Centralized Hub That Supports Broad File Types
Talis Engage transforms reading lists into centralized hubs where students can access all learning materials. Faculty can easily upload and manage a wide range of materials into their lists, including MS Office files, audio, text documents, and PDFs.

Integrated Copyright Checking
Talis Engage integrates with the CCC and CLA (with other copyright agency integrations under review) so library admins can ensure that faculty stay compliant when uploading materials. Talis Engage copyright checks both books and journals, streamlining the process to save both faculty and librarians time.

Streamlined Resource Access & Download
Students can view the resources uploaded online, in the Talis Engage reader, and also download the resources for offline use, to learn anywhere, anytime.

Social Annotation In A Variety Of File Types
Talis Engage encourages deeper student engagement with course content through personal notes and collaborative discussions—directly within materials, whether an image, audio file, PowerPoint, text or more.
Talis Engage Is Available Now
Talis Engage is available on request now for all institutions subscribed to Talis Aspire or Talis CourseFlow. Please note that it is currently not available for customer institutions based in Canada, but this will be coming soon. Customers can contact support to enable Talis Engage for their institution.
Get A Demo
Is your institution looking to boost library impact and enhance the student learning experience? Request a demo to see how the new Talis Engage feature works in Talis Aspire or Talis CourseFlow. If you’re not sure which solution is best for you, get in touch and we can guide you.