It seems so simple to download a PDF and send it off to everyone or put it in Canvas for sharing. You might not realize that using a link has other advantages. The library uses reports showing the number of times library resources are used to inform decisions about new purchases and subscription renewals. If you download a PDF and share it, we will only see one use for that document. In addition, sometimes the terms of use in library licenses require links to be used rather than a PDF when sharing articles with a class. If you are a student, you might also need a link to add to an assignment. Whether you are faculty, student, or staff, knowing more about linking will save time and reduce frustration.
Jess Denke, social sciences librarian, has created a short video to walk you through the steps for identifying and choosing a link through Encompass Search. Jess shares search techniques for finding your item, gives you tips for picking from among the links available, and more.
To view the video, click here. You may pick up more information than you expected!
When Amanda Riegel, who handles library reserves viewed the video, she immediately saw how useful it would be.
“This is a great video! I think it will be very helpful in not only showing faculty how to locate material, but also what our best practices are and rationale for them. In regards to the course reserves process, once material is located, faculty can use the Encompass details to fill out the course reserves form if they don’t want to place the material into Canvas themselves. I try to adhere to best practices whenever possible, so I will create pages within the Canvas class with links to the material.”
