Students Reading List Service

The Reading List Service is the library's designated service designed to support you in finding and engaging with your course reading lists. Through Leganto, our reading list software, you can access reading lists that are relevant, interactive, and accessible through your course area or through our public interface.

Finding Your Reading List

Via the public link

Anyone can view our course reading lists by searching via the public Leganto portal . Here you can search by course code year, and academic department.

While you can view reading lists this way, to access any of the e-books or electronical articles listed you will need to log-in. To do this, simply click on the “Guest” button in the top right of the screen and then “login”.

Through your VLE

In your course area in MyAberdeen, click on “Reading List”. Alternatively, if that isn't visible find the "Books & Tools" on the menu on the left. After clicking on this, a second menu will appear on which you will see a link to “Reading List” with the Leganto logo.

Clicking either will open Leganto in a new tab. You will not be required to log-in as your access will be carried over from MyAberdeen.

How to Use Your Reading List

Navigating the sections: The layout of your reading list will vary for course to course, but all of them will have sections.

Most likely these will be used to divide the list by week number, topic or priority of the materials. The number beside the section title indicates the number of items listed within that section and you can expand and minimise a section by clicking on the section name.

Not all sections may be visible at one time as your lecturers may release them on a week-by-week basis.
Accessing your course reading: Once your reading list has loaded, you will see the main information of each item listed such as title, author, publisher, and year. You will also be able to see the availability of the item, whether it is accessible online, available in print, or on loan.

Hovering over any item will bring up a “Full Details” button.

For physical items, you will see additional information such as availability, location, and number of copies.

For electronic you will see a link beneath "View Online".

TIP: If you log-in via your VLE your credentials carry over saving you time.

If a link doesn't work correctly, you can let us know by clicking on "Mark as broken" and then completing the form, providing as much information as you can.
Downloading a reading list or referencing: Leganto allows you to download your reading list as both a full document in word, or specific items as references.

To download a reading list, click on the three dots beside the course name, find "Export", and the simply select your preferred format. 

You can also use Leganto to quickly generate a reference by clicking on the three dots beside your chosen title and then on "Quick Cite".

This will bring up a new window from which you can choose the correct bibliographical style for your course - such as Harvard or OSCOLA.

TIP: Remember to always double check the referencing style is correct before using it in your assignments.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my course doesn't have a reading list?: Not all courses have a Leganto reading list yet.

You are welcome to ask your lecturer to create one and the reading list service will strive to support them wherever possible. In the meantime, you can view all the lists we do have by browsing through our public interface .
What do I do if the link in my VLE isn't working?: Leganto does not allow the sharing of reading lists by copying the URL which is where linking issues often arise. It is possible that the link embedded in the "Course Content" area in the VLE has been created in this manner and may not work.

However the link generated by going through the "Book & Tools" menu in the VLE will be correct and should be used instead.

If you are still unable to access the reading list via this method, try using the public portal . From here you can search by course code, course title or even academic department.
What do I do if I need an accessible copy of the recommended reading?: If you require an accessible version of an item on your reading list, the Library should be able to assist you.

Get in touch by emailing the Library Inclusion team at librarydisability@abdn.ac.uk . Please remember to provide as much detail as you can, including the full citation information, course, and preferred format - eg. do you require an electronic copy for reading on a device, or one that can be processed by Read Aloud software?
What do I do if a link to a resource in my list isn't working?: If a link isn't working in your reading list, you an let us know by clicking on "report broken link". Please provide us as much detail as you can and feel free to include any screenshots. We will look into it and get in touch if we have any further questions.

In the meantime you will also be able to view this item by searching for it on Primo .
What if I need more support?: For additional support you can contact us by emailing library@abdn.ac.uk .

If reporting an issue, then please provide as much detail as possible including screenshots.

You can also schedule short online support sessions to better learn how to use Leganto. These can be booked via our Reading List Service Support platform