Books and reading lists

A reading list is a set of materials your lecturer requires or recommends for your unit, designed to help you understand the topic. These may include textbooks, books, journal articles, reports, videos and websites.

Your reading list should be available by the first week of classes – you can find it in your unit information in Moodle.

Types of readings

Your lecturers will label each item on the list as one of the following:

• Required (or prescribed) – these readings are essential for your unit
• Recommended – these readings are useful to own
• Reference – you don't need to buy these readings as they're only used sometimes for reference.

These labels will help you prioritise your workload and focus on essential materials.

The readings you accumulate may be worth keeping as you build your own professional library.

Where to buy your books

At Monash, students are expected to purchase resources assigned in their units.

Some reading lists don't have prescribed books to buy. Instead, they may have open access resources or journal articles as prescribed readings each week. This is often the case with humanities.

Second-hand books (buy and sell)

You can also try Monash Uni Textbook Exchange on Facebook where students sell books they no longer need.

Borrowing books from the Library

To support equity, the Library may provide a limited number of resources included in reading lists. However, there are not enough copies to meet the demand for all students.

Electronic textbooks are also subject to licensing restrictions. This may limit the number of students who can access them at the same time. Students should not rely on electronic textbooks from the Library during open‑book or online exams.

If your unit requires the use of interactive or personalised features of an electronic textbook, these will not be available through the Library’s copy. Library electronic textbooks cannot be personalised for individual users.

Can’t see your reading list?

You should only see a reading list for the units you’re enrolled in for the upcoming teaching period (not for the entire year).

If your reading list isn't in Moodle by the first week of classes, it might be because your teacher hasn't made it available yet. Consider waiting another day or so then check again.

If you have any questions about your reading lists, contact your chief examiner directly:

• by email (contact details are in the unit entry of the Handbook)
• through Moodle.