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Online Instructors

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Course support & reserves

Information about the collections, services and tools available from the Boston College Libraries to support faculty teaching online courses.

How to obtain material for your course

Add items (books, articles, chapters, films, cases, etc.) to your Course Resources list in Canvas and we will work with you to find online accessible material for your course. 

Types of library material How we can help build your Course Resources list in Canvas
Books or book chapters

We will attempt to buy the ebook version. We may be able to purchase the ebook for unlimited users or several copies so that more than one student can use the ebook at the same time. If you only need a chapter or two, we can scan up to 10% of the book.

eBooks If the catalog says "Limited to one user at a time" we will try to upgrade the ebook to more copies or unlimited use.
Articles We will get a scanned pdf of the article from our collection or from another library.
Articles in databases If there is no pdf version, we will use a stable URL or permalink so it can be accessed off-campus.  See how - Linking to Articles from Databases.
DVDs We may be able to digitize a small clip from a DVD. To use the entire film, we may be able to acquire streaming rights for the full film.
Streaming media Some streaming media is licensed for a limited time, usually one year; We will make sure the license will cover use in your class.
Not found at BC 

We will try to purchase items online for our collection. 

Course Resources

Use Course Resources to:

  • Organize readings by sections, weekly or by topic. Add class notes for your students.
  • Link to affordable and accessible resources such as books, chapters, articles, films, open access material, and websites. 
  • Request the purchase of resources not in the library collection. 
  • Reuse Course Resources lists in other courses or future semesters.
  • Use "Discuss with the Library" to ask questions and get updates on your readings.

To get started, go to Canvas: click Course Resources from your course's left menu. Outside of Canvas, use Course Resources (direct access)

For detailed instructions, see our Guide to Course Resources for Instructors

Subject Librarians

Subject librarians can help you find material for your course, including affordable course material and open textbooks. We can create course specific guides, teach online library instruction to your students, and help you navigate the vast number of resources and services available through the library.

Open Educational Resources (OER)

open access logoSubject Librarians are available to advise faculty on ways to lower the cost of class materials. We can provide assistance in finding high quality resources that meet faculty pedagogical goals without adding to student expenses. For more information on Open Access (OA) and Open Educational Resources (OER) see Open Access and Scholarly Publishing.