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Integrating Libraries into Course Management Software

Home / Project Briefing Pages / CNI Fall 2004 Project Briefings / Integrating Libraries into Course Management Software

December 2, 2004

Charles E. Dye
Director of Information Technology
Indiana University/Purdue University, Indianapolis

Gretchen Hanson
Systems Librarian
University of Maryland

John Eiszner
Lead Programmer
Indiana University/Purdue University, Indianapolis

Maryland:
The University of Maryland Libraries have started to work closely with our campus Office of Information Technology (OIT) to integrate resources into WebCT. We have successfully integrated links from WebCT to our library OPAC, digital repository, and web portal (including link resolver). In addition to providing the technical ties to the libraries, we have implemented a “Library Module” that is loaded with each instantiation of WebCT. This module brings the library resources directly to the instructor or student in a timely and informative way; guiding them in their research tasks while still in the courseware environment. Instructors are guided in tasks such as creating reading lists, locating online articles, creating links to them, or contacting the Reserve or ILL desks. Having access directly to faculty in this way makes it easier for them to contextualize what the library has to offer, and makes the services the library provides invaluable. Working closely with OIT will allow us to move this model for integration to other course management systems on campus: Blackboard and WebTycho.

IUPUI:
The University Library at IUPUI has integrated a variety of tools into the campus course management system (CMS), a locally crafted application called OnCourse managed by the university technology department. Of particular interest is an effort to integrate the bookshelf functionality of our federated search engine (Ex Libris Metalib) into OnCourse. In effect, this integration allows an instructor to use the federated search engine to find resources from our online databases and add them to an “eshelf” through tools in the CMS. The links in the eshelf are resolved to the data object via our open URL link resolver. This eshelf is then automatically available to the CMS of a particular class offering. An instructor can create course reserves and quickly change them simply by changing his eshelf without having to make changes in OnCourse. The system is now in production and being used by instructors at IUPUI. Several enhancements are under review and we are working with Ex Libris to incorporate the ability to “publish” the eshelf in a way that requires less coding from our programmers.

http://www.lib.umd.edu/ETC/webct/WebCT.html
http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/ulnews/metasearch.html

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Filed Under: CNI Fall 2004 Project Briefings, Information Access & Retrieval, Teaching & Learning
Tagged With: CNI2004fall, Project Briefings & Plenary Sessions

Last updated:  Tuesday, April 30th, 2013

 

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