There have been a lot of developments on and improvements to the Learning Success Hub recently and I want to talk to you a little about one of my favourites that I think is really exciting and that I’m very proud to have helped create: our improved and expanded eBook Spotlight Collections.
The first eBook Spotlight Collection on the Library Portal was created for Black History Month in 2023. In consultation with Arden’s REN staff network, we purchased a number of new titles and highlighted some valuable existing sources in the wider collection that explore and amplify Black voices and experiences. Following this, I and some of my colleagues in the Library team created and curated further eBook spotlight collections dedicated to the LGBTQIA+ community, women’s history, sustainability, and disability and neurodiversity. We relished the opportunity to delve into the Library catalogue and shine a light on some of the incredible eBooks we have that you might not otherwise find unless you were looking specifically for them. We were also aided by our Request an eBook service (now Request it!) and received insightful suggestions for additional titles from students and staff, which we purchased. These collections are about diverse perspectives and looking at familiar topics and areas of study through another lens, something vital for us all to do. Many of them relate directly to programmes taught at Arden, and all of them explore issues of real historical, social, and cultural importance.
Building on these and also looking at some of the foundational aspects of university life, my Library colleagues and I, in collaboration with the Academic Skills Team, have now put together a whole host of new eBook spotlight collections on more topics that really matter to our student community. Combining new titles from top academic publishers and the best of our existing eBooks, you can now find collections on a multitude of new themes such as academic writing, digital capabilities, exams and assessments, STEM, and general study skills. These collections keep accessibility and inclusion at their heart; you’ll find dyslexia and neurodiversity-friendly study tips and strategies, advice for studying online, and user-friendly guidance on the technological skills that will help build your confidence both in your academic and professional lives. If you haven’t already, I’d highly recommend giving them a browse.
Speaking of: there are huge benefits to a purely digital library, but one thing we don’t have built in is the opportunity to browse. To find the shelves containing an area of interest and look along the spines to see what’s there. That’s part of the reason I love our eBook spotlight collections so much. You can select a topic that interests you and cast your eye over a row of relevant titles to see what’s been selected that you might want to investigate further. A digital library requires keen search skills and while developing these is something our students really benefit from, sometimes it’s nice not to have to predict the right keywords or phrases to track down what you need but to simply take a look at what’s on offer.
And what’s on offer is something dynamic. I want these collections to develop and change and feature brilliant new titles as we receive them and swap old editions for more recent ones. Libraries are neither static collections nor infinite warehouses of books and other materials. They flex with their user community and respond to their needs. I plan for our eBook spotlight collections to be more than just ever-growing lists of eBooks. I want them to be snapshots that represent the best of what we have to offer at any given time. There will be some mainstays, titles that we highly recommend and return to again and again when examining a particular subject or topic, but much like a physical display in a library building, you should find that these collections are worth keeping an eye on as new titles arrive. We’ll also be looking to create further collections on topics such as careers and employability and mental health and wellbeing so watch this digital space.
And this is also where you come in! The creation of these new eBook Spotlight Collections has been a great act of collaboration between the Learning Success Hub and our user community and we’d love to keep collaborating. There’s something very special about creating an impact through the eBooks we showcase and enabling our students and staff to feel reflected in and represented by our collection beyond the key textbooks needed for a module. If you have any suggestions for eBooks you’d like us to buy to feature in any of our eBook Spotlight Collections, please let us know using the Request it! form.
Thank you for helping us make these collections what they are. Happy browsing.