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Integrating Library Resources into Canvas

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About this guide

This guide will show you how to correctly link to library materials. It is designed for faculty and staff who want to include library resources in their Canvas courses, but the directions can be followed by anyone. Use the navigation menu to choose the type of resource you wish to include. It's important to use correctly formatted links so that UW-Green Bay users will be able to access the library resources from off-campus. In most cases, permalinks are the best way to share library resources with your students

If you need additional help with formatting links to library resources, please contact a librarian.

Easily link to article PDFs

To add the link to Canvas:

  1. Add an item to the module
  2. Choose the External URL option
  3. Enter a page name
  4. Paste the URL generated on this page
  5. Select Load in a new tab
  6. Click the Add Item button to save it
Add item to course module screenshot with "external URL" and "Load in a new tab" selected

What are permalinks?

A permalink or permanent link is a URL that is intended to work for many years, making it less vulnerable to the "link breaking" over time. This is also sometimes referred to as a "stable URL" or "document URL."

Why Should You Use Permalinks? 

  • Using permalinks to library resources instead of uploading copies of PDFs to your Canvas course follows best practices of copyright guidelines
  • They are typically much more accessibility friendly than scanned copies of articles
  • By providing students with a permalink instead of a copy or PDF of an article, you provide the library with more accurate statistics of usage for purchasing and maintaining resources