Library Services for Virginia State University Faculty: Library Content on Blackboard

Most VSU databases contain persistent URLs (web addresses that do not change).  This means that you can copy/paste these URL links into your Blackboard courses, e-mails, handouts, web pages, etc., and students will be able to find and download the articles for assigned readings.  

It is a short and easy process to create links for electronic access to articles.

1. Find the article in the database that you want to link to.
2. Copy the URL for that article.  This is usually in the address bar of the browser.
3. Paste the EZ-Proxy URL to the front of the article.  The EZ-Proxy URL is:   https://vsu.idm.oclc.org/login?url=   (For more information about EZ-Prozy, see ADDING EZ-PROXY TO URLs on this guide.)
4. Add the new URL to your Blackboard course, e-mail, web page, etc.

Off-campus access is provided to Virginia State University Faculty/Staff/Students through the use of EZ-Proxy.  EZ-Proxy is simply a server that sits in between VSU and the remote database where articles/information can be accessed.  The EZ-Proxy acts as a 'middle man' between VSU and the database to make sure that only people affiliated with our institution get access to the documents they need.

In order to view documents from off-campus, you will need to add the EZ-Proxy URL to any URLs from articles/info. that you want to link to in Blackboard, e-mail, or any other place on the Web.  It is really easy to do, and only requires you to know how to copy and paste links together.  

Here's an example:

1. Suppose I wanted to link to this database on our system:  http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/search/advanced?sid=11650e05-4896-4b77-8c20-c800103c5f73%40sessionmgr111&vid=1&hid=104

2.  All you have to do to add EZ-Proxy is to add this URL in front of the original:

 https://vsu.idm.oclc.org/login?url=  

3.  The new URL will be:

https://vsu.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/search/advanced?sid=11650e05-4896-4b77-8c20-c800103c5f73%40sessionmgr111&vid=1&hid=104

4.  This new URL will be what you paste into your Blackboard course, web page, etc.

5.  Now anyone who accesses your link will be able to see it from on- or off-campus!  All they will need is their VSU Active Directory (AD) username and password to login from off-campus. 

Embedding library content in Blackboard is a great way to reach students, increase convenience, and to integrate the library into their coursework.  There are only a few steps that a faculty member needs to do in order to partner with the library in providing library content to students. 

The faculty member must be willing to collaborate with a designated librarian to import library content into Blackboard.

The faculty member will be assigned to a member of the library staff who will be responsible for posting content into Blackboard, or can show the faculty member how to do this themselves. 

If the faculty member chooses to allow librarians to collaborate with them, we will create a Content Area on Blackboard to create links to library resources from the instructors' course page.  The faculty member will have to give the librarian INSTRUCTOR permission to their course to create the Content Area and content links.  (If the faculty member is uncomfortable with sharing privileges, we will be happy to show them how to embed the content themselves.)

Members of the library staff who can help faculty members put library content into Blackboard are: