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Canvas - UW Libraries Research Guides in Canvas (UW-Madison)

Instructions for embedding content from the UW-Madison Libraries' Research Guides into Canvas courses.

At UW-Madison, the UW Libraries Research Guides tool is integrated with Canvas. This integration allows direct access to UW Libraries’ Research Guides content from within Canvas. This document describes how to add UW Libraries’ Research Guides content in Canvas and how instructors and students access such content in Canvas.

UW Libraries Research Guides include resources related to a specific course and assignment, or on a subject, topic, or type of resource, such as:

  • Curated lists of online databases, books from the Library Catalog, and websites
  • Research strategies for finding, evaluating and using information sources
  • Embedded tutorials or tipsheets related to the research process

There are two types of Research Guides:  Course Guides and Subject Guides.

  • Course Guides are research guides created for a specific course and customized for the course topic and assignments.   Course Guides are created upon request and are often used as supplementary material when a librarian provides an information literacy instruction session for a course.
  • Subject Guides are ready-made guides on a subject, topic, or type of resource.  

Embedding UW Libraries Research Guides in Canvas (Instructors Only)

There are two ways to add UW Libraries Research Guides content to a Canvas course: 

  1. Instructor adds a librarian to a course, and librarian embeds content
    1. Instructor requests a guide (and/or library instruction session)
    2. Librarian creates guide
    3. Instructor adds librarian in “Librarian” role to course
    4. Librarian embeds content in course
  2. Instructor embeds content
    1. Instructor requests a guide (and/or library instruction session)
    2. Librarian creates guide and provides instructor with guide title
    3. Instructor embeds content in course

See below for details and instructions.

1) Instructor adds a librarian to Canvas course, and librarian embeds content

At UW-Madison, an instructor or owner of a Canvas course site can add a librarian to the course site  in the “Librarian” role. 

Adding a librarian to the course site in the “Librarian” role in Canvas can help the course instructor and the librarian collaborate more efficiently.  In the “Librarian” role, a librarian can

  • Access course materials
  • Add Research Guides content
  • 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.

If you would like to add a librarian to your course site, contact your subject librarian or use this form to request an embedded librarian.

How to add a librarian to a Canvas course site

An instructor can  add a librarian to a course site in  the same way that an instructor  adds any other individual not on the official roster.

Add a person to a Canvas course.

  1. On the People page for the site, click +People button.
  2. In the Add People text box, enter the librarian’s UW-Madison  email address.
  3. Select Librarian from the Role menu.
  4. Click Next

Screenshot for adding people to Canvas

2) Instructor embeds content

There are two options for adding UW Libraries Research Guides content to a Canvas course: 

  1. Add guide content to course site top-level navigation
  2. Add guide content to a module

For a consistent user experience across courses, the Libraries recommend as a default that guide content be added to the course site top-level navigation.  This consistency will help library staff at service desks, the Library Technology Help Desk, and the DoIT Help Desk assist and troubleshoot problems that may arise using Research Guide content within Canvas.

A. Add guide to top-level course site navigation

The UW Libraries Research Guides tool is available to all course sites.  The tool is hidden by default.  The course instructor or others with set-up privileges on the site can enable the tool.

To enable the tool by adding it to Canvas course navigation bar: 

  1. Click on Settings, then select the Navigation tab.
  2. At the bottom of the page is a list of tools that are not in the navigation bar.  Locate UW-Madison Libraries Research Guides and drag and drop it into the list of tools directly above.
  3. Click Save to save your changes.

Adding UW Libraries Reseach Guides to navigation in Canvas

After adding the tool to to the Canvas course site navigation bar, choose the guide to display:

LibApps Library Content Selection menus in Canvas

  1. Click on UW Libraries Research Guides. Use the drop-down menus to select the content you wish to display when students click on the link in the course navigation.  After selecting an option from the first drop-down, additional selection options will appear.
  2. Select LibGuides site: researchguides.library.wisc.edu
  3. Select Content Type:  Full LibGuide is recommended.
  4. Select Guide Guides appear in alphabetical order by department code for course or subject.
  5. Select Guide Page:  To display all pages of a guide (recommended), do not make a selection.
  6. Click Embed Content.

After an instructor embeds Research Guide content to a Canvas course site and clicks on the navigation item, “UW Libraries Research Guides,” the instructor will see two options:  Edit Selection or View Content.  An instructor can modify or edit the embedded Research Guide content or view it.  Students, however, will see only the Research Guide content.

To modify the embedded content (Edit Selection):

  1. Click UW Libraries Research Guides in course navigation or on link for added item in module
  2. You are presented with the LibApps Library Content Selection screen page because you have Editing rights for this course.
  3. Click Edit Selection to modify the content select (i.e., to select different LibGuides content to display to students).

To access embedded content (View Content):

  1. Click UW Libraries Research Guides in course navigation or on link for added item in module
  2. You are presented with the LibApps Library Content Selection screen page because you have Editing rights for this course.  The students will not see this page but instead will be taken directly to the target link.
  3. Click View Content to see what your students will see.

B. Add guide to module

The UW Libraries Research Guides tool can be used to embed guide content into a Canvas module.  The embedded guide content will appear within the frame of the course site.  This approach can improve the effective integration of library materials into the flow of course work.  An instructor or librarian can create any number of module items based on the UW Libraries Research Guides tool.

Add UW Libraries Research Guides module in Canvas

  1. Add a new item to an existing module.  Select External Tool from the item type drop-down menu. 
  2. Locate the UW Libraries Research Guides tool.
  3. Scroll down the list of external tools and select UW Libraries Research Guides.  Selecting the option will automatically populate the URL field with the tool launch URL.  IMPORTANT:  Do not change this URL  You can select guide content later.  
  4. Click Add Item.  This should return you to the Modules list, where you will see the new item added.
  5. Click the name of your new item, UW Libraries Research Guides, in the modules list.  Use the drop-down menus  to select the content you wish to display when students click on the link.  After selecting an option from the first drop-down, additional selection options will appear.
  6. Select LibGuides site:  researchguides.library.wisc.edu
  7. Select Content Type:  Full LibGuide is recommended.
  8. Select Guide (Guides appear in alphabetical order by department code for course or subject.)
  9. Select Guide Page:  To display all pages of a guide (recommended), do not make a selection.
  10. Click Embed Content.
  11. To change the default name of the item, select Edit from the item mini-menu.
  12. Do not forget to publish the item to make it visible to students.   

After an instructor embeds Research Guide content to a Canvas course site and clicks on the module item ( “UW Libraries Research Guides”), the instructor will see two options:  Edit Selection or View Content.  An instructor can modify or edit the embedded Research Guide content or view it.  Students, however, will see only the Research Guide content. 

To modify the embedded content:

  1. Click UW Libraries Research Guides in course navigation or on link for added item in module
  2. You are presented with the LibApps Library Content Selection screen page because you have Editing rights for this course.
  3. Click Edit Selection to modify the content select (i.e., to select different LibGuides content to display to students).

To access embedded content:

  1. Click UW Libraries Research Guides in course navigation or on link for added item in module
  2. You are presented with the LibApps Library Content Selection screen page because you have Editing rights for this course.  The students will not see this page but instead will be taken directly to the target link.
  3. Click View Content to see what your students will see.

Accessing UW Libraries Research Guides content (Students)

  1. Click UW Libraries Research Guides in course site top-level navigation (or in a module where the content is embedded).
  2. Embedded content will appear to the right of the navigation bar.


Library contacts:

For questions or comments about Canvas integrations for LibGuides or other library resources, please contact Teaching & Research Content Integration Team (TRCIT) or email trcit-lib@lists.wisc.edu






Keywords:libguides research guides course guides canvas   Doc ID:76056
Owner:Alexandra S.Group:General Library System
Created:2017-08-24 15:55 CDTUpdated:2020-10-01 15:06 CDT
Sites:DoIT Help Desk, General Library System, Learn@UW-Madison
Feedback:  0   1      
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