Oxford Reading Lists Online (ORLO)

ORLO (Oxford Reading Lists Online) logo

  1. Reading Lists:

    Reading lists are collections of materials such as books, chapters, journal articles, and more, recommended by your tutor for your studies. These lists can be distributed in print or electronically through platforms like email, Canvas, or ORLO.

  2. Oxford Reading Lists Online (ORLO):

    ORLO is an online system for accessing reading lists at the University of Oxford. It offers features such as checking the availability of print items in the library, accessing full-text electronic resources using ‘View Online’ buttons, and aiding time efficiency in your studies.

  3. Accessing ORLO:

    You can find your course’s reading list through the ORLO homepage or your course’s Canvas site. If your course isn’t on ORLO, you can contact your Subject Librarian or email orlo@bodleian.ox.ac.uk for assistance. Note that most ORLO lists are private and require an Oxford Single Sign On (SSO) for access.

    Two students are sitting at a desk reading text books

    photo (c) John Cairns

  4. Tips for Using ORLO:

    • Download and Export: You can download an ORLO list in PDF format with retained links or as a RIS file for citation management.
    • Reading Intentions and Notes: Set private reading intentions to plan your studies and add personal notes to items.
    • Filter and Search: Use filters and the search bar to quickly find specific readings or types of resources.
    • Save Lists: Save lists to your profile for future reference, even after the academic year ends.
    • Report Broken Links: If ‘View Online’ links are broken, you can report them and get notified when they’re fixed (click the three dots on the far right of the reading list item and select ‘Report broken link’).
    • View Other Formats: Check book details and explore alternative editions through SOLO.
    • Access Digitised Content: Some lists include digitized chapters or articles from Bodleian Libraries, accessible through ‘View Online’ buttons.

For more information see the Bodleian Libraries page on Reading Lists.

ORLO Study Skills List

It’s getting to that time of year again, the days get longer, the weather hopefully gets better and you probaly don’t get to see much of it as you have to prepare for writing your thesis, starting research assignments and final peparations for exams. It can feel a little overwhelming but the ORLO Study Skills list may be able to help. It covers a range of topics reference management to time management and much more.

Photograph of a laptop with the screen covered in coloured post-its and scraps of paper.

It can be difficult to know where to start

For those preparing a thesis or dissertation we have some great resources on our study skills list, in the section Doing a research project, writing a thesis or dissertation. The section on Exams, tutorials, and presentations will set you up well for the upcoming exams.

Photograph of a lightbulb surrounded by coloured post-its that are laid out neatly.

Study skills can help you get organised

The list is an ORLO list so like all ORLO lists it you can use the Table of Contents button at the top to jump to the section most relevant to you. Try using this feature to take a look at our  subject specific guidance on the list. You can also use the search box at the top to find specific resources like Coping with stress at university: a survival guide by just typing a few words in the box e.g. coping with stress. And like all ORLO lists you can export the list or just the references. More information available on the Bodleian website.

If there are any study skills books or resources you’d like us to purchase then please contact your subject librarian or submit a request.

While you’re away + Study Skills titles and EDI collection

The Bodleian Libraries have an extensive range of online resources to enable you to continue your studies away from Oxford.

SOLO

Filter results on SOLO by Online Resources to find resources that can be accessed remotely – look for the green Online access icon. University members can access these anywhere in the world when logged into SOLO with a Single Sign-On (SSO) ID.

E-books

The Bodleian Libraries have a large number of e-books which can be accessed via SOLO. We also have a guide to accessing and using e-books.

If you can’t find a book available as an e-book, then we may be able to purchase one. Complete the book recommendation form to put in your request.

Reading lists

Oxford Reading Lists Online (ORLO) provides 24/7 access to reading lists from a range of devices via your Oxford Single Sign-On ID (More information on ORLO).

E-journals

Databases

All of Oxford’s databases are accessible via SOLO (filter by Databases under Resource Type) and also via Databases A-Z.

Free resources

  • Filter by Open Access at the top of the left hand column of search results in SOLO
  • LibGuides list key subject-specific resources accessible online

Study Skills Reading list

We have compiled a curated selection of study skills books in one list. The list contains titles suitable for undergraduates and graduates, from general to specific, and by subject. You can go browse the list by scrolling the page or by using the Table of Contents tab, to jump to a category. The list will be reviewed and updated regularly with new recommended titles.

Equality Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) Collection

The library is committed to expanding its EDI collection in areas such as LGBT+ Studies, Women’s Studies, Disability Studies, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BME) Studies.

Here is a selection of titles:

More are available on SOLO.

Do you want the e-book of a title already on SOLO in print?  Do you have a recommendation for a title not already included? Contact karine.barker@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

While you’re away from Oxford

The Bodleian Libraries have an extensive range of online resources to enable you to continue your studies away from Oxford.

SOLO

Filter results on SOLO by Online Resources to find resources that can be accessed remotely – look for the green Online access icon. University members can access these anywhere in the world when logged into SOLO with a Single Sign-On (SSO) ID.

E-books

The Bodleian Libraries have a large number of e-books which can be accessed via SOLO. We also have a guide to accessing and using e-books.

If you can’t find a book available as an e-book, then we may be able to purchase one. Complete the book recommendation form to put in your request.

Reading lists

Oxford Reading Lists Online (ORLO) allows students can access up-to-date reading lists 24/7 from a range of devices, check location and availability of listed items and access complete texts where available. ORLO can be accessed through Canvas or at http://readinglists.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/ by logging in with your Oxford Single Sign-On ID (SSO).

More information on ORLO

E-journals

We have access to over 118,000 e-journals titles which can be found via SOLO or our E-journals A-Z list.

The Bodleian Libraries now have a service called Browzine to provide easier access to online journal articles. BrowZine provides access to journals licensed by the Bodleian Libraries from compatible publishers from 2005 onwards. Articles can be accessed directly from SOLO or from the BrowZine website. There are also Browzine apps for Android and iOS, and a Chrome extension which provides links to full-text content of articles while searching the web.

Readers can save articles to a personal library, set up alerts for new issues of journals, and export articles to bibliographic management tools (including Mendeley and EndNote).

More information on BrowZine

Databases

You can access over 1,300 databases across a broad range of subject areas via SOLO and also via Databases A-Z.

Free resources

There is a useful selection of free online resources at https://libguides.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/e-resources/free-resources. You can also check LibGuides for subject-specific resources accessible online.

For e-resources available to everyone filter by Open Access at the top of the left hand column of search results in SOLO.

New online collections

Since the Bodleian Libraries closed in March, staff have made every effort to obtain as many titles accessible online as possible. Collections we’ve recently acquired include:

ORLO (Oxford Reading Lists Online)

Oxford Reading Lists Online (https://oxford.rl.talis.com/index.html) connects students to library resources for teaching and learning in their VLE course pages or through the ORLO interface.

Students can filter their reading lists at the click of a button to remotely access online resources including e-books, e-journal articles, scans of chapters, audio-visual resources, webpages and more.

There are now more than 1,000 reading lists available for courses across all Divisions and the Bodleian Libraries continue to work with departments to grow this resource.

We are already working with several departments across MSD and MPLS to make core reading lists available online via ORLO and we are keen to expand this further across the Divisions.

Library staff are available to help departments and academics put their reading lists in ORLO. Get started by emailing olishelp@bodleian.ox.ac.uk, or contact your Subject Librarian (https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/science/contact/radcliffe-science-library-staff). Please provide the following details:

  • Department
  • Programme of study
  • Name(s) of reading list(s)
  • Number of students (needed for CLA)
  • When course is taught
  • Your contact details

The Bodleian Libraries does not provide support for tutorial reading lists beyond setting up a skeleton list.

UPDATE: Reading lists for 2019-20 will not be updated after 21 June 2020. New reading lists for 2020-21 will be published well in advance of the courses they relate to.