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Library Resources

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At a Glance

Faculty, staff, and students can find, borrow, and request NU library materials through the Northwestern Libraries website. Begin by searching the libraries’ catalog and search tools to see if the materials you need are available through the university library.

What Resources Can I Find in the Library?

The Northwestern University libraries are a vast system of digital and hard copy collections. This includes access to articles printed in obscure trade journals, full and partial textbooks, documentary films, foreign language news and much, much more.

By conducting a search of the libraries’ catalogs and databases, you can determine if and how the library makes the materials available that you need. This will help you determine how to get assigned reading and media into the hands and onto the screens of your students.

Still can’t find it? Given enough notice, the university libraries may be able to purchase or license materials from publishers and make them available for your course. Help is available at e-reserve@northwestern.edu or by calling 847-491-7681.

I found what I needed; how do I add it to my course?

Digitized items, such as scanned book chapters, journal articles and streamed audio and video, can be accessed through permalinking or Course Reserves in Canvas.

Permalinking

To directly link articles from library databases to your Canvas course, follow these steps:

  • Locate the permalink, as shown in the screenshot:
    Library listings contain a permalink for each catalogued item. You can copy and paste the permalink you need from the library catalogue. Library listings contain a permalink for each catalogued item. You can copy and paste the permalink you need from the library catalogue.
  • Copy and paste this library proxy URL before the permalink: http://turing.library.northwestern.edu/login?url=

Course Reserves

Visit this library resource for Placing Items on eReserve for guidance on how to add library materials using Course Reserves.

Not sure when to use a Permalink vs. Course Reserves? Check out this table:

Library Resource When to use a Permalink When to use Course Reserve
Journal Articles Use permalinks when an article is available for download through an NU Library Search. The permalink will consistently route users to where they can find the article. Use Course Reserves when a journal article is only available in print in the NU library and must be scanned.
Book Chapters Use permalinks if the chapter is available in a digital eBook format in the NU Library database. Use Course Reserves if the book is only available in print format.
Audio/Video Streaming Use permalinks for streaming media that is already available through a NU Library Search. Use Course Reserves for a digitized format of physical media in the NU library collection.
Harvard Business Review Harvard Business Review and Harvard Business Review Digital materials are available for download from the NU Library and should be linked from your Canvas course with a permalink. Due to copyright restrictions, HBR materials CANNOT be added to Course Reserves. The answer is never to request HBR articles using Course Reserves.

References/Resources