Adding library tools to your Canvas site is a great way to give your students research support throughout the semester and consolidate information and resources in one area.
In the times before COVID, U-M offered four distinct tools that instructors could add to their Canvas site. As of July 21, 2021, we have combined our original four tools and added a few new ones, to our new "Library Tools" tool. With the new tool, instructors (also anyone in the Teacher, TA, Designer, or Librarian role) can build a customized Library resource page for their course.
Go to the Settings page and select Navigation. Locate "Library Tools" at the bottom of the long, long list of available tools and move it to the short list of active, visible tools at the top. While you're at it, we recommend moving default tools you don't intend to use down into the list of hidden tools. Once you see "Library Tools" in your site navigation, go to the tool to add content.
Our new tool includes the same "Ask A Librarian" tab that we use at the U-M Library website. There are also links to "Locations and Hours" and "Ask A Librarian" at the top of the page. The new tool also includes a rich text "Introduction" field so that you can present just-in-time, course-specific context for the resources students will find on the page.
Build your Library Tools page by adding "Blocks." Current block offerings allow you to:
We continue to offer "U-M Library Research Guides," as a separate, out-of-the-box tool developed by SpringShare.com as part of our Research Guides platform. You can use this tool to embed a single guide, or a specific page from a specific guide, in a Canvas page. Instructors who use Canvas Modules will find both "U-M Library Tools" and also "U-M Research Guides" listed as "External Tools."
Some instructors are used to adding "U-M Library Research Guides" to their site navigation. You can still do this, but we recommend you consider using "Library Tools" instead so you can take advantage of added flexibility. Also, so you can avoid SpringShare's current no-edit bug.
Need more information or help? Contact e-learning-lib@umich.edu