Answered By: Kay Cunningham
Last Updated: Aug 13, 2024     Views: 107

Faculty can link to articles from library databases in their Canvas courses, depending on the permissions granted by the database vendor.

NOTE: The license agreements that CBU enters into with database vendors determines the use you can make of articles and materials delivered on their platforms:

  • Material found in databases that is otherwise subject to copyright may already be cleared for classroom use by the database/license.
  • A few journals do not allow linking regardless of the database in which they are found. Pay attention to the copyright notice that accompanies each article you want to use.
What to look for:
  • Many databases provide direct links to items, aka stable URLs, persistent links, or permalinks. Use these as shortcuts to articles.
  • Not all databases provide full text, and not all full text databases provide stable URLs.
  • Check your links before each term to make sure they still work--especially if you use streaming videos. Videos are the most likely resources to change, though journal articles can change too.
Off-Campus Access:

Most of our databases are already configured to include the library's proxy prefix (to allow off-campus access) in their stable URLs.

  • The stable URLs in some databases will not work from off-campus because they do not include the library's proxy prefix. Therefore, you must add it.
  • Edit the URL by adding the library's off-campus proxy prefix before the stable URL: https://christianbros.idm.oclc.org/login?url=
  • The stable URL should come behind the equal sign without any break or spacing. For example: https://christianbros.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41388926
Formatting:
  • Hide a long URL by hyperlinking selected text, such as the title, to give the page a cleaner appearance.
  • If you create your reading list in Microsoft Word, save the file as a Web Page, or in HTML format. The web page can then be loaded into Canvas for students to access. (Web pages are recommended because linked Word documents (.doc format) do not work consistently when remote access is involved.)