Following an initial survey on how students at University of Cambridge engaged with online reading lists in April/May 2021, a user research project testing the usability of Reading Lists Online (known as Leganto - online reading list software - to library staff) took place between October 2021 and March 2022 to investigate how current students use the software.
This report documents the overarching research process, kick-started by ideation workshops with library staff to identify improvements based on the survey findings, with an opportunity by library staff to implement these before the usability testing commenced.
The research project has found that:
- Students are happy with the basic functions of Leganto, which they can ‘make work well for their own way of studying’ especially with the customisable search and filter options available.
- Students will browse online reading lists to get a feel for available materials in their subject and appreciate thematic intellectual organisation of readings.
- Whilst primarily accessed for online materials, students still value the role of online reading lists in directing them to physical collections.
From the user research findings, the following key recommendations are made:
- Academic education: better promote the benefits and functionality of Leganto within the academic community through training and two-way communications on updates and observed areas for improvement.
- User support: develop a deeper association of online reading lists to subject libraries, for students with enquiries or seeking technical support.
- Refinement: advocate for the continuing collaboration between library staff to establish good practice in terms of agreeing reading list conventions, such as tagging and structure that simplify the user experience and amplify accessibility to all library collections.
Download the full Leganto project report
[Accessible formats of Futurelib reports and documents are available on request: email futurelib@lib.cam.ac.uk]
