Library Instruction: Libraries in Wyocourses

We are actively building tutorials on both library basics and discipline-specific resources. Video tutorials are hosted on the UW Libraries YouTube channel and are easy to embed in WyoCourses modules. 

Contact your liaison librarian with requests for additional tutorials. 

Articles in electronic journals are often subject to copyright or licensing restrictions.  The Libraries suggest linking to articles available through the UW Libraries' many subscriptions rather than uploading articles to course shells.  Please do not upload copyrighted materials to websites that are open to anyone as this does expose the University to possible legal action.  In addition to helping you avoid copyright or licensing issues, links also bolster the Libraries' journal tracking statistics.

The Libraries use IP addresses for authenticating eligible UW database users.  On-campus researchers access online resources seamlessly in most cases; off-campus users can access databases through the library proxy server with a UW username and password. The following instructions will help you create permanent and proxied links to online resources so that both on-campus and off-campus students can easily access readings.

In every case, you must first find the book, journal, or article you wish to use. If you have a print version of the article, or the library doesn't subscribe to the journal, see the section on e-reserves. If you are not sure whether the library has the article you need, or if you need help finding the article, see the Ask a Librarian box on this page to contact a librarian.

1. Creating durable proxied URLs is, in many cases, a simple copy and paste operation.  Here are examples from ProQuest and EBSCOhost, two of our largest providers of databases:
   
   ProQuest Databases:
   
   
   
   In this example, all you need to do is find the URL in the "Document URL" field (this field is usually toward the bottom of the record, after the full-text), copy it, and paste it wherever you intend to link.  All articles and citations in ProQuest are pre-proxied (note the "libproxy" in the URL) so you don't have any extra work to do.  Off-campus students will be able to access this article using their UW username and password.
   
   EBSCO Databases:
   
   
   
   In an EBSCO database, once you've found the record for the article to which you'd like to link, click on the "Permalink" button near the lower right hand corner of the screen.  A "Permalink" box will appear toward the top of the page.  Copy this URL and paste it wherever you'd like.  Again, this is a pre-proxied link so your students will be able to access the article from off-campus.
   
   
2. Building a durable URL is more challenging.  Some of our content providers don't offer copy and paste simplicity.
   
   In some cases, you'll be able to use a DOI link.  A DOI is a "Digital Object Identifier" and most--but not all--large and medium-sized publishers register their published content with a DOI agency (e.g., CrossRef).  This is the best way to build links to articles on major publishers' platforms like ScienceDirect, Wiley-Blackwell's Interscience, Springer's SpringerLink, and Taylor & Francis.  Unfortunately, publishers do not proxy these links, preventing off-campus students from accessing content.  Here's how to proxy a DOI link:    
   
   ScienceDirect:
   
   
   
   Once you've copied the DOI link as shown above, you only have to prepend that link with the UW Libraries' proxy server URL: 
   
   The proxy server URL is http://www-lib.uwyo.edu/redirect.cfm?url=
   
   Add the proxy prefix to the beginning of the DOI and you'll have a proxied DOI-based link that you may use anywhere. 
   
   It should look like this:
   
   

          The proxy prefix in this example is in orange and the DOI is in black for illustrative purposes.

The example above is from ScienceDirect. Most other major publishers will have DOIs for their published content--you may have to browse a bit to find the DOI number on other platforms. 

If you can't easily find a DOI, Permalink, or durable URL, there are usually ways to link to that content and proxy it for off-campus users. Instructions can vary greatly by platform. Please contact the Research Help Desk if you need help creating links to online resources

E-books may also be subject to copyright or licensing restrictions. The Libraries have a number of e-books from several providers, and those offerings will grow. Before you link to an e-book from your course, or before you use an existing e-book as a textbook, please contact the library. Some e-books are licensed for single users: only one person can check out or read the book at a time--just like traditional print books.  Others are part of a subscription that may have an expiration date.  In some cases, there are also printing limits that may present problems for students.

If you request that the library purchase an e-book that you plan to use for your course, please let librarians know of your intentions. We can purchase a multi-user license or obtain the book from a provider that is more suited to your purposes.

The easiest way to link to an ebook from your course shell or website is simply to link to the catalog record.  From there, students may access the content via the proxy server if they're off-campus (and the Libraries handle the proxy linking so you don't have to worry about it). 

The easiest way to link to an ebook record in the catalog is to link to the "B" number URL listed at the bottom of all catalog records.  (so you may use this method for more than just ebooks...it holds true for all catalog records).

Here's an example:

All you need to do here is copy and paste the URL listed at the bottom of the record.  The Libraries handles everything else.  For access to the ebook, students simply click on the "View Full Text" link near the middle of the page.  From there, if they are off-campus, they will need to log in but you don't have to put any proxy prefix strings in front of a catalog record link.