Distance Education Library Services  Tags: distanceeducation samantha  

UMOnline has added the Mansfield Library as a tab in Blackboard, making it easier for students to find their way to library resources.  However, these tabs are a bit easy to overlook (you may not have even noticed their presence!).  One of the simplest ways to integrate library resources directly into your course is to provide a link to our homepage (http://www.lib.umt.edu) right in the course menu. This link will both remind your students that the library has a plethora of resources at their disposal and provide easy access to those resources. To link to the library homepage:

1. Log into Blackboard and enter your course shell.

2.  Click on the “Control Panel.”

3. Select “Manage Course Menu” from the “Course Options” area.

4. Click on “External Link” from the “Add” options at the top of the menu.

5. Give the link a name like “Mansfield Library” or “Library Resources,” enter the web address for the link (http://www.lib.umt.edu), and, if you’d like, check the box to make the link open in an external window. This will keep the course page open in the background as students use library resources. You can also choose a specific page on the library website, like the subject guide for your course/discipline.

6. Click on the Submit button, then “Ok,” then click “Ok” again and return to the course homepage. The link to the library website will now appear at the bottom of your course menu.

The Library provides a one-stop listing of electronic resources via the Library website’s “Databases” links (http://weblib.lib.umt.edu). This listing is arranged by subject area and also alphabetically.

Subject liaison librarians are also able to recommend electronic resources that have particular relevance to your course or assignment requirements. Contact your librarian as well for recommendations on additional course resources like books, media, websites, maps, government documents, videos, and more. We can also create handouts or craft instruction sessions on researching, using the Library’s resources, plagiarism, and so on.  Feel free to recommend resources to your subject librarian as well!

Complete subject liaison librarian contact information and information on the Library’s instruction can be found at http://www.lib.umt.edu/node/115.

We encourage faculty to point students whenever possible to a complete electronic resource (e.g. the full database) rather than providing a static URL for specific electronic content (e.g. the article). This encourages the student to explore electronic resources, and provides opportunities for students to learn and use important research skills.

While faculty may choose to simply point students to the Library website (http://www.lib.umt.edu) or the database search page (http://weblib.lib.umt.edu), it is also possible to point students directly to the entry point of a specific electronic resource. The following example describes how to do so. Adapt this process to the desired electronic resource. Consult your subject liaison librarian if you need assistance.

1. From an on-campus computer, navigate from the Library’s electronic resources page (http://weblib.lib.umt.edu) to the specific resource by using the subject divisions or the alphabetical index.

2. Click on the name of a resource, for example Science Direct.

3. Note the resulting URL that appears in your browser. For example, the Science Direct URL that appears is http://www.sciencedirect.com/. Please keep in mind that electronic resource URLs may change and should be checked from time to time.

4. Place the following before the URL:
http://weblib.lib.umt.edu:8080/login?url=

For example, the Science Direct URL would now read:
http://weblib.lib.umt.edu:8080/login?url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/ 

5. Test out this new URL by typing it into your web browser. If cutting and pasting from Word, double check that the URL is entered correctly (Word sometimes breaks up the URL or inserts extra characters). Hit the “Enter” key to make sure the URL takes you to the right database or index page.

6. Use this new, compound URL to create links within your Blackboard course environment. Students accessing this URL from an on-campus computer will be transferred directly to the resource. Those connecting from off-campus will be prompted to enter their NetID and password.

The Library’s electronic reserve service facilitates the scanning of documents, for example, journal articles, and makes them available electronically within a password-protected, course-specific environment.

The Library’s copyright guidelines for electronic reserve are available at http://www.lib.umt.edu/gen/copyright.htm. Articles that are already available electronically, such as those in an online database or e-journal, may be made available via e-reserve. A printable e-reserve request form is available online at http://www.lib.umt.edu/node/302.

Once e-reserves have been established for your course, you will be provided with a URL through the reserves site that links directly to the e-reserve entry point for your specific course. This URL can be easily linked within your Blackboard course shell. You will need to disseminate the password (chosen by you) to your students.

For additional assistance with e-reserve, please contact Mansfield Library’s Reserves specialist, Julia Jackman-Brink, at 243-6730 or Julia.jackman-brink@umontana.edu.

It is possible to create static URLs for specific library catalog records, but some work is required. By instead providing students with citations or recommended search terms and a link to the Library catalog or homepage, faculty can provide students with opportunities to practice search techniques. If you do wish to point students to a specific library catalog record, please contact your subject liaison librarian for assistance.

The Mansfield Library has a separate guide to copyright issues available at:

http://libguides.lib.umt.edu/copyright

Some of our most requested online pages is our citation guide.  Consider linking to this:

http://libguides.lib.umt.edu/content.php?pid=3183

Your subject liaison librarian and the Distance Education Coordinator can work with you to provide handouts, online lectures, tutorials, demonstrations and other library and research instruction resources comparable to those offered to face-to-face classes. Feel free to contact either your liaison librarian or the Distance Education Coordinator to discuss what options work best for your course.

Complete subject liaison librarian contact information can be found at http://www.lib.umt.edu/node/115. The Distance Education Coordinator’s contact information is at the top of this Guide.