Upon starting Hitting the Books, I'm approached by one of the mages at the college and told
Ancano wants to speak to me, but when I go and talk to him he doesn't have anything new to say or new topics in his list I can ask him about.

Bug I'm guessing? Just looking for confirmation from someone else.

This is normal... it's a plot device to inject Ancano into the story and to get you thinking about him if you never really paid attention before. He will have more to say later on in the story arc.
-Loth