In your online courses, you may have a mix of remote and in-person students. Fortunately, remote students typically have access to the same library resources as in-person students, including books, journal articles, and other items from our collections - whether digital or in print. This page will help online instructors:

• Identify the types of instructional materials available through the Library.
• Provide access to course materials for remote learners.
• Find additional help and information on borrowing policies.

If you need further assistance, please contact your subject specialist or Ask a Librarian. Additionally, our Online Learners guide contains more detailed information about access and borrowing privileges for remote students. 

If the Library doesn't own the material(s) you need for your class, you may suggest a purchase of the item you need. Please note that multi-user licenses are often possible for E-books, articles, and other online materials.

Once you've located library materials for your course, it's important to share them in a way that ensures easy access for all students. Online students can access most library resources with their NetID and password and/or a photoless i-Card.

Linking to Online Resources

When providing links to databases, articles, or other electronic Library resources in your syllabus or course pages, be sure to use stable URLs or permalinks so that students won't run into error messages or other access issues. For detailed information on creating proxied links for different resources, check out the Create Persistent Links guide. 

If students still have trouble accessing e-resources through a permalink, they might need to set up a VPN. For instructions and tips, visit the Library Technology page on setting up your VPN. If you have trouble accessing e-resources, email ertech@library.illinois.edu. For immediate support, please contact the Information Desk. 

Print Resources

You can upload PDF scans of book chapters or print articles to your course page to ensure access for all students. If you have any on-campus students enrolled in your course and you would like to place a physical copy of a course book on reserve in the library, please use the Reserves Request Form.

There is no formal reserve process for electronic resources. However, you can explore our Course Materials and Copyright for Professors guide for concerns about sharing digital materials on your course page. If you have distance students who would like to request print books from our collections or I-Share, you can find more information in the Online Learners Guide. 

If you have assigned a book or book chapter as a reading for your course, there are a few different ways you can locate and provide access to the text for yourself and your students. 

1. First, search the catalog to determine if the University Library provides print or digital access to the book. Consult our Finding and Using E-Books guide for more information on locating electronic resources. If the Library has an electronic version of the book you need, link it in your course page.
2. If the Library does not have an electronic copy of the book you need, but does have a print copy, you can request a photocopy of the chapter or excerpt you need using our Document Delivery service.
3. If the Library does not have either a print or digital copy of the book, you can request a photocopy of the chapter or excerpt you need with Interlibrary Loan.

Please note that access to some e-book titles may be restricted to a limited number of simultaneous users or limit downloads. Usually, an e-book's landing page will have information about specific access limits. If you have questions about accessing an e-book,  the Ask-a-Librarian chat or your subject specialist can help.

If you have assigned a journal article as course reading, first determine whether the article is available electronically through the University of Illinois or on the open web:

1. Use the Easy Search feature on the Library homepage to search for the article's title, then try the blue full text links. Detailed instructions for locating a specific article with Easy Search are available in our How to Find Articles guide. 
2. Alternatively, use the journal search in the Library catalog to see if the Library subscribes to the journal in electronic format, and to verify that the particular issue you need is available. 
3. If there is an accessible electronic copy of the article, link it in your course site. 

If the article is not available electronically...

1. Request a photocopy of the article via Document Delivery, if your Easy Search or journal search results indicated that the Library has a print copy. 
2. Request an electronic copy of the article via Interlibrary Loan.