Off-Campus Guide to Library Resources: Assistance for Online Instructors

This guide provides resources and helpful tips to support students in Distance Learning programs or online courses.

Online Faculty/Staff Assistance

Library Servces for Online or Distance Learning Faculty and Staff:

  • Access to all of Logan's electronic resources.  Use the same credentials as your Logan email to gain access when prompted.
  • Development of Research Guides specific to your course.  All you have to do is ask, and we will compile specific resources that are useful to your class and place them all in your own research guide.
  • Preparation of materials on how to use library resources for your class.  We can help you create a document or even a video tutorial to assist your students learn about library resources or for use in conjunction with an assignment that requires library research.
  • Articles by interlibrary loan.  If we do not have an article in our collection, we can request it for you by interlibrary loan and email it to you.
  • Questions answered by phone, email or instant messaging.  If you need anything, please contact us.  We are here to assist you and offer services to you and your students.  Our IM service is active during library hours.  At any time, including nights and weekends, you may contact Sheryl Walters, Reference and eReources Librarian, for help too.
  • Purchase suggestions are always welcome. If you find that we do not have something that you would like available for your students, email Ellen Dickman, Director of the LRC, or fill out the online form.

Locating Articles for Courses

When searching for articles to use in an online course, it is best to use items which are within Logan's subscriptions, or are open access and then post a link to the full text. Directly posting a PDF could result in potentially breaking copyright law, therefore we suggest always using the link in order to remain compliant. Most links need to be specially constructed in order to allow the off-campus user to access the resource.

Check for full text access to an article by looking up the journal in the Journal Holdings or by searching PubMed or EBSCOHost:

Look up the journal by title.  If we have that journal, you will see a link with a date range, follow the link to the full text site and then locate the article through the search, or by year/volume/issue/pagination.​

  • Go to the library’s Databases and select a database to search in.
    • PubMed (must use PubMed through the library – do not just go to pubmed.gov)
      • Search the article’s title in the search box (or search for an article using Single Citation Matcher), or search with keywords to locate articles by subject.
        • Locate an article and then click on the title to view the full record with the abstract. 
          • If we have the article, you will see a dark blue Logan Online icon.  Click it and follow to full text.
    • EBSCOhost - This contains several databases, so click on Continue at the first screen to search them all at once.
      • Search for articles by subject, or enter the title of an article that you already have.
        • If we have the article, you will see a PDF or link to access under the record.  To get the permalink for the article, click on the article's title.  Then on the right side menu, click on permalink.

After you locate an article, you will need to construct a permalink (unless it is open access).  This link will run through Logan’s proxy server and allow the user to authenticate as affiliated with Logan University.  Setting up the permalink depends on which method you found the article.  Visit our tutorial page on creating permalinks.  The process can be tedious for some resources, so feel free to contact us and we will set them up for you.

If you have an article, which is not in Logan’s library collection, and not open access, you can contact the publisher directly to seek permission to use it in your course.  Sometimes they will grant this permission.  If they do, you need to keep a record of any communication.

The librarians are always happy to help with looking up articles and setting up permalinks.  Feel free to contact us anytime!

Images

When using images in courses, it is best to gather those which have a creative commons license, are labeled for reuse, or are in a Logan licensed resource.

Questions? - Ask a Librarian

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Text a Librarian: 636-200-5426 Schedule an Appointment


Ellen Dickman
Director
 636.230.1787

Lindsay Gallagher
Discovery & Access Librarian
636.230.1783

Sheryl Walters
Reference & Instruction Librarian
 636.230.1788

Additional Guides

You may also find the following guides useful: