Logging in and Creating a List
For more information, watch Log In and Create a List.
Accessing Leganto
Students and instructors generally access an embedded version of Leganto from within an LMS. Login is automatic when your institution is configured for single sign-on.
In some cases, an instructor may see a Quick Start Welcome screen instead of the Login page or My Lists page; see The Quick Start Welcome Screens.
After logging in, you see a Welcome screen, unless you or Ex Libris has disabled this. After closing the Welcome screen, you see the Lists page.
Log out by selecting Log out in the user menu.
If you have lost your username or password, or require any assistance, contact your library.
Guests access Leganto from a shared link. Guest access is available for all published list that are shared with Anyone. The My lists/All lists toggle is disabled and only All lists is available.
For mobile access, see Logging in and List Structure.
Creating a List
The sections below cover the different ways you can create lists for your courses.
Creating a List in Leganto
You can create a new reading list from scratch from the Lists page. For this option to be available, the leganto_create_list parameter (Configuration > Leganto > List Management > List Creation) must be set to true.
- From the Lists page, select Create list.
Create list - Enter a Title, and if relevant, a Description.
- Start typing the course code or name to see course options.
You can also create the list without associating the list with a course. If needed, you can associate the list with a course at a later point.
Create new list - Select Create list. The list is created. You can now start adding sections and items to the list. See Adding a Section to a List and Searching and Adding from a Library.
Newly created listYour new list now appears on the Lists page with a Draft/Published status based on your library's publishing settings.
For optimum loading speed, we recommend creating a maximum of 100-200 lists.
Creating a List from a Syllabus
Librarians and instructors can use AI to generate lists by importing a syllabus or other files containing references. Administrators control who can use this feature with the leganto_import_syllabus parameter (Configuration > Leganto > List Management > List Creation), which can have the following values:
- all – Allows both librarians and instructors to upload syllabi and extract references using AI
- library – Restricts syllabus upload and AI reference extraction to librarians only
- (blank) – Disables the feature entirely for all users (default value)
When both leganto_create_list is set to true and leganto_import_syllabus is set to all (both found in Configuration > Leganto > List Management > List Creation), librarians and instructors see an expanded +Create list menu when browsing lists. This button opens a dropdown menu with several options, and at the top, there is the Import course materials option.
Selecting the Import course materials option launches the interface for uploading syllabi and pasting references.
Librarians and instructors have two options on the Import course materials screen:
- Upload a syllabus file – Browse a PDF, Word, or text file from your device (or drag and drop it from your desktop)
- Paste references – Copy and paste references directly into the editor window instead of uploading a file
Once you upload a file or paste references, select Create at the top right of the screen. Once the AI model processes the provided file or text, fill in the list details and select Create list to create a brand new list.
When leganto_create_list is set to true and leganto_import_syllabus is set to all, librarians and instructors can also find the Import course materials option in the dropdown menu of the +Add button when within an existing list. This option opens the same Import course materials interface, but only in a right-side pane.
You can use this feature to quickly add new items to an existing list. Like when creating a new list, you either upload a syllabus file or paste references and then select Import. Once the model processes data, review the extracted items, choose the section to add them to, and select Add all items.
The AI Syllabus Assistant uses a Large Language Model (LLM) to process content. Your input is not stored by or used to train the LLM. The Privacy and disclaimer information is displayed in Leganto.
Link Items to Library Collection After Syllabus Import
New for November! After a syllabus upload, instructors and library staff see a badge in the right pane when items in the list are not connected to library inventory. The badge shows the number of unlinked items and remains visible until all such items are connected to the library inventory or ignored.
Selecting this badge opens a pane that lists all items that do not have any inventory. Items with external links are not included. Problematic items are shown on the list in the left pane. Select an item to begin looking for matches within the library inventory.
When searching for potential matches, you can use the dropdown menu to define your search scope (default Search everything). You can also open Advanced search for more specific queries.
Once you find something fitting in the library inventory, select Use this item to connect the resource to the list item. To view details before deciding, select More details.
After you select Use this item, the item receives a green checkmark on the left-sided list and gets connected to the chosen library resource. Resolved items remain visible while the current pane is open, but they get removed from the list the next time you select the Check library availability badge.
If no suitable match is found, select Ignore item. The item is then displayed with a crossed-out checkmark icon, but remains in the list for reference the next time you open the Check library availability pane.
If you accidentally select Ignore item, you can undo the action by selecting Review item, which restores the item so it can be checked for potential matches again.
Creating a List from an LMS
You can create a list from the LMS using the Quick Start screen, which appears when you access a course that does not yet have an associated list. This screen presents several different options.
These options enable you to:
- Import course materials: Upload a syllabus file or paste references and use the AI assistant to create a new list.
- Create new list: Create a brand new list by adding items from the library, the web, or your device.
- Select existing list: Link an existing list to the course or create a copy of an existing list.
- Ask your library to create the list: Let the library generate a list.
Import Course Materials
This option enables instructors to upload syllabi and use AI to create a list. For this option to be visible in the LMS, the lms_import_syllabus parameter in Configuration > Leganto > List Management > List Creation must be set to true (default false).
Once you select this option, the next screen presents two options:
- Upload a syllabus file – Browse a PDF, Word, or text file from your device (or drag and drop it from your desktop).
- Paste references – Copy and paste plain text references directly into the editor window instead of uploading a file. Once you paste the references, select Create list to activate the AI assistant.
Once you upload a file or paste your references, you see the animation screen that indicates that the AI assistant is processing data. Then, you need to fill out the list details. Provide the necessary information and select Create list to create the new list.
Create New List
Once you select this option, the next screen asks you to enter a List name and provide a List description (the description is optional). The Link to course field is filled automatically with the current course.
Select Next to proceed to section creation. Use the Organize list by dropdown menu to define the structure of your list. Leaving this field set to Default creates a single section, but you can also organize your new list by Weeks or Priority. Learn more about section creation in Adding a Section to a List.
After choosing the desired structure, select Create list to make the new list.
Select Existing List
If you choose Select existing list from the Quick Start screen, the system displays all available lists. My lists shows only your personal lists; All Lists lets you search all Leganto lists by list title, course title, course code, instructor name, and other metadata.
Regardless of whether you view My Lists or All Lists, each list displays two options:
- Link course to this list: Associate the existing list with the current course.
- Duplicate list: Create a copy of the selected list and link the new list to the current course.
For instructors to see these options, the lms_existing_list parameter (Configuration > Leganto > List Management > List Creation) must be set to all. If set to duplicate, instructors only see the Duplicate list option and cannot link an existing list with the course.
If you decide to link an existing list with the current course, select the Link course to this list option. Confirm the decision by selecting OK in the popup window, and the system then links the chosen list with the course. The system navigates you to the linked list, and you can see all the courses associated with that list by selecting the section highlighted in the image below.
Only lists already linked to one of the courses can be linked; unlinked lists can only be duplicated.
If you wish to make a copy of an existing list, select Duplicate list from the list menu. You then edit the List name and optionally provide a List description. The Link to course field is pre-filled with the course name.
At the bottom of the screen, there are Advanced Settings that enable you to choose which elements of the original list to copy. What instructors see under Advanced Settings depends on parameters set in Configuration > Leganto > List Management > Instructor Rollover Operations. Learn more about rollover parameters in the Enabling Instructor Rollover Guide.
After completing the configuration, select Create list to make the new list.
Ask Your Library to Create Your List
The Ask your library to create your list option enables you to submit a syllabus and let the library make the list. Instructors can only upload files if the lms_upload_file parameter (Configuration > Leganto > List Management > List Creation) is set to true or assistant.
To upload a syllabus file, simply drag and drop the file into the upload area or browse for it on your device.
Once you upload the syllabus, select Send file to submit it to the library.
If the lms_upload_file parameter (Configuration > Leganto > List Management > List Creation) is set to assistant, the syllabus file will be processed by the AI Syllabus Assistant. The AI assistant generates the new list and automatically forwards it to the library for review. If you do not use the AI assistant, the library receives the same file you uploaded to the LMS.
Duplicating a List
When enabled by your institution, lists can be duplicated. Duplicating a list makes a copy of the list and all sections and items. As part of the duplicating workflow, you can decide whether other aspects of the list will be copied or reset.
Select Duplicate list in the list menu. Out-of-the-box, the duplicated list has the old list's name with (Rolled Over) appended to it unless configured by your institution.
When duplicating a list, you can associate the list with a course. Optionally, you may want to review or change the Advanced Settings to confirm whether other aspects of the list are copied or reset.
Importing an Exported List
Lists can be created by importing an existing list.
- From the Lists page, select Create list > Import list.
-
Select the File type lgn.
File type lgn - The list with your references are uploaded to Leganto.
Imported list from file - Select Create list to add the list with all its items. The list is created.
Create list
Deleting a List
When configured (see Deleting Lists), instructors can delete lists from the Lists menu in Leganto.
Additionally, Instructors can filter Lists by recently deleted lists.
Deleted lists can be restored from Leganto. When restoring a deleted list, the list is restored with a Draft publication status.
Archiving Lists
When configured, instructors can filter Lists by by archived lists.
Archived lists can be unarchived from Leganto.
When unarchiving a list, the list is restored with a Draft publication status.
Managing Course Associations
You can associate a list with a course when creating a list or after a list is created.
- Enter text (Such as Course code or Course name) in the Look up course field and select the course. When you select Create list, the list is then associated with the selected course.
Look up course
Uploading or Linking a Syllabus to a List
When enabled by your library, you can upload or link to a syllabus. See Enabling Reading List Syllabuses.
- From the list action (...), select Edit list.
- Enter a URL for the syllabus or drag and drop or select a file.
Syllabus URL -
Select Save. The link/file is added to the list.
Course syllabus link
Adding a Section to a List
You can create a new section from scratch or by duplicating an existing section. Lists created in Leganto include a default section. The default section name to appear when a reading list is created in Alma or imported into Leganto is configured by your institution. Whenever you import references into Leganto or create the list in Alma, the value of this label appears in Leganto as the section name. The label's default value is Resources. When creating a reading list in Alma or importing a reading list into Leganto, the description defaults to blank.
- Select Add > New section. The Add new section pane opens.
Add New section - Enter the section Title.
- If relevant, enter a Description.
- To make a section viewable during a specific date range, enter a Start date, End date, and check Display section during these dates only.
- Select where in the list the section should appear.
- Select Add.
Add new sectionThe section is added to the list.
New sectionYou can reorder a section at any time by collapsing the section and dragging the
icon. For more information, see Collapsing or Expanding a Section.
Adding Sections from a Template
Leganto provides easy and flexible templates for creating sections when building new lists.
When adding sections to a new list, list creators can select a section template to help organize the list. For the Numbered pattern templates, they can adjust the number of sections if needed.
The Create new list wizard includes a Preview section to preview how the sections will be displayed on the list. The list creator can view different options before selecting Create list.
Duplicating a Section
You can create a copy of a section, including all the items in the section. Sections can be copied to the same list or to a different list.
You must be the owner of the list to which you are copying the section.
- Select Copy section in the section menu of the section that you want to copy.
Copy section - Enter the new section's name.
- Select the list into which to place the new section.
- Select Copy.
Copy section paneNew sections created by duplicating a section always appear directly below the duplicated section.
Deleting a Section
Any section that is no longer required can be deleted.
- From the section, select the section menu icon
and select Delete section. The Delete section confirmation window appears.
Delete section - Select Delete. The section and all its items are removed from the list.
Delete section confirmation
Editing a Section
You can edit a section to make any required updates to the section.
- From the section, select the section menu icon and select Edit section. The Edit section pane opens.
Edit section - Make the relevant edits and select Save. Your changes appear in the section.
Edit section
Viewing a List as a Student
You can preview the list to see a student's perspective.
- Select View list as a student in the list menu. The list is displayed only with options available to students and a banner indicating that you are viewing the list in Student View.
Viewing notifications or recent list changes in student mode displays the instructor’s notifications.
View list as a student option
Student View