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University Library

5 Ways to Bring the Library into Canvas

Add course reserves!

Link directly to course reserves to help students locate their required reading.

The Library helps ensure that all students in the class have access to required course materials with course reserves. Items on reserve have shorter loan periods, and have to be used in the library. You can place personal items or library material on reserve. To place items on reserve, you can fill out a reserves request form at least 3 business days prior to the needed date.

Once your items are on reserve in the library, you can link to them in Canvas.

Tip: Put your syllabus in Canvas using the Syllabus feature in the course navigation. Include the item title and call number so students can easily access the information from a printed copy of the syllabus.

How to add course reserves in Canvas

Add Course Reserves:

  1. Find your course reserve items. Use the library's course reserves search to search for the item's title, course instructor, or course ID.
  2. Find the permalink for the reserve item. A permalink is a permanent URL that will consistently link back to the same page. The URL at the top of your browser screen doesn't always do this.
  3. Add the link to your Canvas site. Use the "+ Add an activity or resource" to add the permalink to the appropriate section of your Canvas site.
  4. Test your link. Open your Canvas page in a new browser or different computer, and click your new link. If it gets you to the same place--great!  If not, look around for the permalink.

Tips in adding course reserves

Adding reserves is one thing, getting students to read is another story!

To make sure students do the required reading before class, consider:

  • Posting the reserves in the week they are required to read. This reminds them what they have to have done on a class-by-class basis.
  • Asking students to answer a key question about the reading or discuss how the reading relates to the class in a discussion forum. That way, you can gauge students' engagement with the required reading.
  • Assigning students to be 'discussion leads' for that week in class. Students will be more apt to read if they have to structure a discussion around the content!

For more tips, Check out an article by David Gooblar, columnist with ChronicleVitae, or ask a librarian for help.