Skip to Main Content Galveston College Library
  • Galveston CollegeLibrary

    • Virtual Librarian and Embedding Resources in Canvas

    Does your course require a research assignment or project? If you want to give your students easy access to research help, consider adding a librarian to your Canvas course and embedding library resources.  

    A virtual librarian can answer research/library questions, create online resources, and collaborate with you to find the best resources for your students.

    Virtual Librarian 

    Virtual Librarians at GC:

    Virtual librarians will post at least three announcements each semester. The first announcement will be an introduction, the second will be sent at midterm to remind students of library resources, and the third will be a virtual library evaluation. Additional announcements will be tailored at the professor's request. 

    Virtual Librarians can:

    • Answer research/library-related questions in a discussion forum.
    • Create resource pages, tutorials, and quizzes for your class.
    • Collaborate with you to find out the best resources to assist your students.

    If you want to add a librarian to your course, please complete the Request Library Instruction form. After you submit the form, see the Embed a Virtual Librarian tab or contact Distance Education for assistance. 

    Add a Librarian to Canvas

    Adding a librarian to the course in the “Librarian” role in Canvas can help the instructor and the librarian collaborate more efficiently. An instructor or owner of a Canvas course can add a librarian to the course in the “Librarian” role.

    In the “Librarian” role, a librarian can

    • Access course materials
    • Post to the announcements and discussion areas
    • Add to course content

    A librarian added to a Canvas course in the “Librarian” role cannot see the list of enrolled students or other protected information such as grades.

    Follow these steps to embed a librarian in Canvas:

    1. From your Canvas course homepage, click on "people" from the menu on the left-hand side.
    2. Click on the button "+ People."
    3. Enter the librarian's email address,
    4. Choose "Librarian" from the dropdown menu labeled "role."
    5. Click "next," and your librarian will be notified through Canvas, asking them to accept your course invitation.

    Embed Research Guides

    LibGuides (Research Guides) are course and subject-specific online webpages developed by librarians. They are designed to help users research specific subject areas (healthcare management or English 1301), find resources to complete specific assignments or build proficiency using specific material types (like images and newspapers). View help and research guides at GC Library. 

    You can embed LibGuides into your Canvas Course so it is easier for students to access these resources.

    How to Embed a LibGuide into a Canvas Course

    Click on the "+" button at the top right of the module you want to add a LibGuide. In the pop-up window:

    1. Select "External URL" in the dropdown list.
    2. Type in the URL in the URL section, or paste it from the list of LibGuides.
    3. Give your LibGuide page a name.
    4. Click "Add Item," and you should see a LibGuide embedded in a Canvas page.

    Embed Other Library Resources

    Creating Persistent Links to Library Resources

    For your students to access articles, journals, videos, and other resources at the library, you need to share with them permanent links/persistent URLs to those resources.

    To find a permanent link/persistent URL: On the article, journal, or film record, look for words such as "Embed URL", "Persistent URL", "Stable URL," "InfoMark," "Document URL," or "Permalink."

     

    An Example from the Library Catalog

    An Example from an Article Database

    An Example from a Streaming Video Database "Films on Demand"

    Embedding a Persistent Link in Canvas

    Once you have found or built a persistent URL you can paste the URL into a Canvas page or other document. In order for your students to access the link, it is better to load the link in a new tab since some URLs are not considered safe enough in Canvas.