Are you a student? If so, please visit our student information page to learn more about how you can use ASU Library Reading Lists.
What is Course Resource Services?
The ASU Library Course Resource Services is dedicated to connecting students with their course materials as seamlessly as possible. Our team works with instructors to embed materials of all types, whether part of the library collection, provided by the instructor or freely available online, directly within the learning management system using the ASU Library Resource Organizer (formerly "Reading List") tool. We ensure the durability of library and online links, check that content meets accessibility standards, and remediate provided pdfs if needed.
Our Course Resource Service contributes to student success by eliminating barriers students face in accessing their course materials, providing immediate and free access to the content they need.
While there are a variety of materials that can be made accessible through Course Resource Services, materials obtained through interlibrary loan or duplicated copies of audio or video recordings are not appropriate for the service. Please read on to learn more about how we can help and to find resources.
How can Course Resource Services help?
- Search for and embed ASU Library-owned materials to your course.
- Include instructor-provided materials and remediate pdfs for accessibility, if needed.
- Ensure course materials meet accessibility standards.
- Digitize articles and book excerpts, according to our copyright policy.
- Digitize, caption and provide streaming audio or video, if guidelines are met.
- Purchase required materials not owned by the library, if available (see textbook availability).
Copyright guidelines and resources
Get started!
ASU Library Resource Organizer for Canvas
The ASU Library Resource Organizer (LRO) makes it easy to create, access, and manage course materials. The LRO integrates the library catalog, enabling instructors to build, maintain and share a customized resource list within Canvas or on their own, including all material types, whether electronic or print. LROs ensure students can access all course materials in one place and from any device. It’s essentially a customized library catalog for your course!
- Learn more with the ASU Library Resource Organizer LibGuide.
If your course is in Canvas, use the ASU Library Resource Organizer tool to begin setting up your reading list.
If your course is not on Canvas, please submit a Resource Organizer course request. If you need help, please contact us.
Tips for a smooth start
To ensure access on the first day of the semester for your students, please submit your Library Resource Organizers for review three weeks prior to the start of the session.
Here are our recommendations for finding and adding materials to your course, at no cost to your students.
The ASU Library owns and licenses a variety of content in all formats for course use, including extensive streaming audio and video options. Search for the content you want to use and add it to your resource organizer.
There are a wealth of resources that are distributed under Creative Commons licenses, which grant permission in advance for a variety of uses, including educational purposes. You can easily add these resources to your resource organizer using the CITE IT bookmarklet. Review the Open Education Library Guide or finding open content for more information and recommendations for places to search.
A work is in the public domain if its copyright term has expired, or if it has never been covered by copyright (such as works authored by the U.S. Government). Works in the public domain may be used for any reason by anyone since copyright does not apply. Public Domain content on the Internet can easily be added using the CITE IT bookmarklet.
The library policy on copyright for course resources is derived from the fair use provisions in Section 107 of the Copyright Act, which expressly provides breathing space for using copyrighted works for purposes such as "criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research."
When evaluating whether a use is fair, four factors are taken into consideration:
- The purpose and character of a use.
- The nature of the copyrighted work.
- The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole, and
- The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
No one factor is decisive - all four factors are considered.
While there are no hard and fast rules for what constitutes a fair use of a work, generally speaking, using limited excerpts of a work as described below do not require copyright permissions. If your need exceeds these amounts, you will be asked to submit a fair use checklist. You are responsible for determining whether your use is fair. This fair use checklist is meant to guide your evaluation. If you need help, please contact us for assistance.
| Source of Work | Restrictions |
|---|---|
| Single or co-authored book | 1 chapter or 10% |
| Collected essays, book | 1 chapter or 10% |
| Scholarly journal | 1 article at a time; on-off dates required |
(for more information and guidance regarding copyright exceptions related to education, see the Copyright for Instructors library guide)
If the material is not licensed or in the public domain and the use is not fair, you must get permission from the copyright holder in order to use it for your course. Here is some useful guidance from Columbia University Libraries.
If you’re having trouble finding what you need, contact our expert librarians for guidance on finding appropriate content.
Physical Resources (Course Resource shelf)
If an electronic version of required course content is not available, we can keep a physical version reserved for your students at the information desk of any of our libraries. These can be library-owned materials, or your own personal copy.
When you add a physical item to your Resource Organizer, you can choose from a few options to determine how long a student may check out an item.
If you provide your own materials, you can drop them off at any library. In order to monitor use of your materials, the ASU Library will need to process them into our system, which includes adding:
- Clear tape on face and/or spine
- Call number label
- Barcode label
- Resource loan period tape
The Library is not responsible for damage or loss of personal books, media, etc. while they are on the Course Resource shelf.
All physical materials will be removed from the Course Resource shelf at the end of the semester, unless we have been notified of a continuing need. We will notify you when your personal materials are ready to be picked up at the end of a semester. Please make sure you have picked up your materials if you are planning to be off-campus for a considerable period of time.
There are some circumstances that may affect availability of physical items on the course resource shelf, such as:
- The material cannot be located in the library.
- Whether or not a vendor can provide the material in a timely manner.
Questions? Get in touch!
Email: CourseResourceServices@asu.edu
ASU Library Course Resource Service:
480-965-3159
Music Library Course Resource Service:
480-965-3513
Ross-Blakley Law Library Reserve:
480-965-6144