With more and more full-text materials available online and the ease of delivering materials electronically, we encourage you to consider creating online reading packets.
Electronic Reserve and Blackboard are two systems supported on campus which provide secure, password-protected environments to post readings for your students.
The choice of either (or both) systems depends on how you plan to teach your course and on what type of access you would like to provide to your students. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you consider both options.
| Electronic Reserve | Blackboard | |
|---|---|---|
| What Is It? | Extension of the library's traditional reserve system. It provides online access to course materials and
links to the list of items placed on physical reserve (books, av materials,
etc.)
|
A Course Management Software that provides an integrated online teaching environment with online communication tools and ability to post and administer tests. Online readings are only one of the many tools offered by Blackboard |
| How To Start? | Contact the library's electronic reserve specialists. Schow: , x4501. Sawyer: , x3748. |
A Blackboard account is created for all new courses. See Blackboard FAQs for more details |
| Uploading Materials | Send reading list to library staff. Library staff will create PDFs and/or locate existing online content and upload them into your course e-reserve. The amount of time needed depends on the time of year and whether the library owns the materials. Please allow a week. | You create and upload course materials yourself |
| What Can Be Included? | Any document or media that can be delivered digitally | Any document or media that can be delivered digitally |
| Obtaining Copyright | The library monitors copyright guidelines and obtains rights when needed | You are responsible for ensuring copyright compliance and obtaining rights as needed |
| Students Access | Through library catalog or by going directly to the e-reserve server One single password is assigned for course (same for all class members) Can also access through Blackboard without needing to login again |
By login into Blackboard Password is the regular network login |
| Can I Check to see if Students are Doing the Reading? | Library staff may generate a report showing the number of times each reading was opened (but not by whom) |
You can keep track of which readings were consulted and by whom |