Course materials services
The Libraries have a number of ways to help instructors deliver course materials to their students including course reserves, e-text(s), articles, media, open education resources and more.
The Libraries and Course Works
Contact us at [email protected] or submit your request using the course materials request form.
Course materials options
Library Course Materials
Library Course Materials (formerly course reserves) are instructor-selected materials made available to students through the Libraries, most free of charge. The Libraries make course reading lists available through Canvas under the "Library Course Materials" menu option.
Copyright permissions service
The copyright permissions service assists faculty and staff at the University of Minnesota in acquiring permissions to use copyrighted items in their scholarship, course websites, coursepacks, Libraries Course Reserve, and other University-related purposes.
Course materials request form
Request articles, ebooks, book chapters, streaming media, and more. View a list of online textbooks we have made available for courses in the current semester.
Send your request to [email protected] or fill out the course materials request form.
Digital video delivery service
Request that a video in the Libraries' collection be digitized for instructional purposes. Digitized videos are loaded into Kaltura for inclusion in Canvas and other course pages.
Course content consultation
Collaborate with the Libraries to find customized course content and materials already purchased through the University Libraries. The Libraries has access to thousands of full-text databases, journals, and e-books that can easily be added to your course environment. Use library content to save students money.
Media collections support
Find information about reserving, accessing and requesting a purchase of library media.
The Libraries and Course Works
Course Works includes library materials! We strongly believe that investing in library-licensed materials and OER will help keep Course Works costs down and ultimately save students money.
- We will continue to work with the Bookstores to purchase unlimited access ebooks and streaming media as well as provide funding to encourage the adoption, adaptation, and creation of open educational resources (OER) and open textbooks.
- Our service isn’t changing. Submit your course materials list or email us for any or all of the following:
- Ebooks
- Book chapters
- Book excerpts
- Journal articles
- Streaming media
- Digital coursepacks
- Business cases
- And more!
- Email [email protected] to
- Ask questions
- Ask us to search for course materials
- Inquire about OER
- Schedule an appointment with one of us to go over your course materials
Visit the Course Works information page for more information.
Open Educational Resources (OER)
Open textbooks and open education resources
We can help you find freely available and openly licensed open textbooks and open educational resources for your course.
- Learn more about open educational resources (OER) and open textbooks
- See the list of University Libraries Publishing Services open textbooks.
- Visit the Open Textbook Library for a curated list of open textbooks from around the world.
Partnership for Affordable Learning Materials (PALM) grants
At the University Libraries, we have been working to increase the use of open textbooks, OER, and affordable course materials. Now, we are offering Partnership for Affordable Learning Materials (PALM) grants of up to $10,000 to faculty, instructors, and departments who will work with us to provide affordable course materials to our students, including creating new open textbooks or adopt/adapt and improve existing ones.
Pressbooks
Pressbooks is simple self-service book production software. You can use Pressbooks to publish openly textbooks, syllabi, modules, and other course materials in multiple formats. Pressbooks also makes it easy to publish your content with a Creative Commons license. Please contact [email protected] if you would like to make use of Pressbooks in your course.
Pressbooks Results and Assignable
The University Libraries have installed and support two LTI tools into Canvas to assist University instructors implementing OER in their courses. Pressbooks Results is tool integrated into a Pressbooks-based open textbook that allows instructors to create interactive exercises using the popular H5P set of activities. With Pressbooks Results, students’ scores on gradable H5P activities automatically record in the Canvas learning management system (LMS) gradebook.
Assignable by OpenStax helps instructors build customized assignments directly in Canvas that align with the select OpenStax textbook being used. With Assignable instructors can assign OpenStax readings from select textbooks directly in Canvas, and assign pre- and post-reading assessment questions.
For more information, please contact [email protected].
Affordable Learning & Open Education (ALOE)
ALOE is the University Libraries department that helps students and instructors with course materials such as ebooks, articles, book chapters, streaming media, and more. ALOE coordinates an overall strategy for integrated course content, expansion of use of affordable and open course materials by instructors and students, and the Libraries role with learning analytics.
This includes:
- managing the Library Course Materials page in Canvas,
- coordinating outreach about affordable content options,
- developing open textbooks and OER, and
- encouraging use of Libraries licensed and acquired content for courses.
ALOE also works in collaboration with internal and external groups such as the U of M Bookstores, OIT, Academic Technology and Support Services, the Open Education Network, related groups in Unizin, and Minitex.
Contact ALOE at [email protected]