ORLO (Oxford Reading Lists Online)

ORLO (Oxford Reading Lists Online) is Oxford's tool for creating online reading lists. It is integrated with Canvas, providing students with direct access to their required reading lists from the VLE. Students report a strong preference for this way of sharing readings and you can also request scanning of files from the Bodleian Digitisation Service, to improve accessibility (all scanned files make use of Optical Character Recognition (OCR), which can be read by screen readers).
ORLO has migrated to a new platform based on Ex-Libris Leganto, which went live on Canvas on 17th July 2024. Access to the old platform (Talis) closed on 31st July 2024, which means that links to old reading lists will no longer work. Step-by-step instructions for teaching and support staff on how to update reading lists in Canvas courses for the new platform is available on a Bodleian Libraries LibGuide.
Course owners are encouraged to check links to reading lists to verify that they point to the most up-to-date reading list. For any enquiries, please contact orlo@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.    

Trying to find ORLO? Please click the link below which will take you to the ORLO (Leganto) home page:

Notes:

  • ORLO is designed specifically to host digital reading lists and certain types of copyright-cleared digitised content. It is an entirely separate platform to Canvas, but can be integrated into your Canvas course(s) in various ways, depending on the need for past and present students to access reading lists. This integration effectively provides a 'window' into ORLO from Canvas, meaning that students do not have to navigate between different systems and course teachers can control how information is presented. 
  • All members of the University with a Single Sign On (SSO) account can access reading lists in ORLO to ‘view only’, but all other roles, such as creating or publishing lists, will only be assigned as part of the official registration process. Please contact your subject librarian for details.

 

Key functionalities of ORLO

  • ORLO provides both academics and departmental administrators with a comprehensive environment in which to create and manage structured reading lists, including digitised content, in order to distribute these as effectively as possible to students.
  • Controlled workflows also ensure that the libraries responsible for fulfilling these lists (who ensure adequate availability of the required resources via the most appropriate channels) have clear visibility and can review lists as they are published to ensure the best service to the students.
  • The service is tightly integrated with both the Library Management System, ALEPH, and the University’s Resource Discovery service, SOLO, creating efficient transitions between services for academics, departmental staff, library staff and end users.

 

Advantages of using ORLO

For students

  • ORLO will help students to find their reading lists easily.
  • ORLO shows different format options, such as print and online, clearly.
  • Real time availability is provided within the reading list for printed items held in Oxford Libraries.
  • Electronic or online items include a link to full text which will work whether the student is on or off campus.

For academics

  • ORLO makes it easy to create smart looking, linked readings lists.
  • It is easy to request digitization of key book chapters or sections that are not yet available online.
  • Analytics show how your students are using your reading list.

 

Linking an ORLO list to a Canvas course

With a few clicks, academics can embed entire lists or highlight specific sections of ORLO  lists in their Canvas courses, or link to the dynamic 'learning tools interoperability' (LTI) integration. Subsequently, when students access the course, they will be able to interact with their recommended reading, without leaving Canvas.

There are two ways in which to provide access to ORLO lists in Canvas, depending on whether you want the links to remain static, or be automatically updated in rolled-over versions of the course:

  1. External (Static) URL
  2. LTI integration: Oxford Reading Lists (NEW)

Both methods are explained in the Bodleian libraries' LibGuide, as well as the Canvas guidance page: Integrating ORLO reading lists with Canvas

Note: If you are unable to find a list, it may be because it is not yet published in ORLO. Contact the relevant subject librarian to resolve this issue.