E-Reserve in Blackboard

Abstract

Ryerson University Libraryin Toronto, Canada, embarked on an electronic reserve pilot project in 2004. The project soon took on new directions, including integration with Blackboard, using its new Content Management System (January 2005), employment of SFX links to offer database options for accessing articles (April 2005) and experiment with streaming a digitized video (May 2005). The reasons for these innovations are multifold. User's convenience of access via a portal like Blackboard is paramount. The SFX multi-database menu is revolutionizing electronic reserve access, though the concept has yet to be tested widely. Streaming AV content is ideal for distributed learning. From the staff perspective, the OpenURL Connector for SFX links is convenient for locating databases and creating links. SFX links are maintained centrally by the Collections Team in the Library and may reduce the occurrences of broken links. Some technical issues remain to be resolved. Extra library authentication after the Blackboard log-in and multiple clicks for downloading articles through SFX are the major ones reported. Excessive copy right clearance costs for digitized videos, lengthy course packs, business cases and so on are delaying or prohibiting some electronic reserve requests. The project has expanded the Library's collaboration with other e-learning stakeholder groups on campus and heightened copyright awareness in the University community.