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Library Services: COVID-19 Response and Support

Adding Online and Streaming content to your courses

Ebooks and online journals

You can link directly to online articles, ebooks, and book chapters in the library databases, and include these links in your course sites. See the Static Links guide for how to find and add stable direct links to content, or contact your liaison librarian for help with this. (Note: just using the URL in the browser address bar won't usually work. Learn how to find the stable link!)

Streaming Video

See the Streaming Video Databases guide for information on Films on Demand and Kanopy, and how to link to or embed films from these platforms. Your liaison librarian can help you find the link or embed code.

If you want a film that is not available in one of our streaming services, there are a few other options:

  • Commercial alternatives. Use a service like JustWatch to determine if it is on a commercial service like Netflix, Hulu, Apple iTunes, or Amazon Prime Video. Many students already have subscriptions to one or more of these services or may know a friend or family member who does. You can ask your students to subscribe to the appropriate service for the duration of the course, similar to how you may require the purchase of textbooks for your courses.
  • Other sources. If your title isn’t available in a library subscription or commercial streaming service, contact your library liaison to determine if the Library can acquire streaming access from another provider. If so, your liaison will provide you with access instructions. Your liaison will work through these requests on a first-come, first-serve basis. Note that this option is budget-dependent. Further, the Library cannot guarantee that a title will be made available by the identified provider in a timely manner.
Converting (“ripping”) from DVDs

If the Library is unable to acquire a streaming version of a film you want in your course and it isn’t available through Netflix, etc., the Library will purchase the DVD of the film (if available) and will work with you and the Center for Online Learning to convert (“rip”) portions of the DVD to make them available in your online course. A WHOLE DVD MAY NOT BE USED.

Further note: This option may not be suitable if you need immediate access to the content as the Library will first need to order the DVD and then process the DVD during a time of anticipated heightened demand for this service.

Follow these steps:

  1. Determine which portion(s) of a Library-owned DVD you wish to integrate into your online course and contact your liaison librarian. During the summer, please email library.services@metrostate.edu. 
  2. Determine whether or not such usage complies with the TEACH Act, using the checklist provided by Minnesota State.
  3. Once you complete the TEACH Act form and make a positive compliance determination, save a copy of the completed form for your records.
  4. Your liaison librarian will contact the Center for Online Learning to request ripping and transcripts/closed captioning for the selected portions of the DVD. COL will specify if they need the library to send them the disc; if so, the Library will check the DVD out to COL and send it through interoffice mail. COL needs a minimum of 5 business days to rip a DVD and caption the video.
  5. COL will work with you to incorporate the streaming clips into the appropriate course.
  6. If you wish to use the same clip(s) in future semesters, you should contact your liaison librarian, who can determine if any new streaming options are available. If streaming options are still unavailable, you should use the clips previously ripped. Contact COL if you need help to accessing them.

If you have any questions, please contact your library liaison or email library.services@metrostate.edu. 

Research instruction for your courses

The librarians can offer online library instruction to your students in ways that fit with your online teaching. Feel free to reach out to your unit's library liaison.

Liaison librarians continue to offer bibliographic/information literacy instruction. Possibilities include:

  • Recorded MediaSpace videos
  • Live or recorded Zoom sessions
  • Embedded instruction through D2L course sites
  • Creation of LibGuides and handouts

 

A library research tutorial, currently under development, may be useful to students needing basic library and information literacy instruction.

Purchase requests

The Library continues to order both print and ebooks, so please continue to submit your purchase requests. Print books and other physical materials are usually available 2-3 weeks after an order is placed.