The UofM Libraries are available to help you get your course materials online for remote students.

Course Materials Support

Support for instructors is available through the subject specialist librarians and through a centralized course materials service accessed via an online form or email (course-materials-support@umich.edu).

The Libraries can assist by: 

• identifying materials available electronically
• licensing electronic versions
• scanning portions of materials for access through Canvas
• and scanning full items for access through the HathiTrust Emergency Temporary Access Service.

The Libraries recommend that instructors rely on library-licensed or open-access content, to provide the most affordable and equitable access to students. Instructors should submit course materials requests as early as possible to provide the best chance of materials being available by the start of the term.

The Libraries prefer ebooks that are DRM-free, or which allow unlimited or multi-user access, but the options that best support course use are often unavailable. Many non-academic publishers will not license multi-user ebook copies or refuse to license ebook versions at all.

• E.g., Penguin/Random House, Hachette, Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster

Even textbook publishers often refuse to license ebooks to libraries.

• E.g., Pearson, Cengage, McGraw Hill, Macmillan, Norton, Oxford

   

Contacting the Libraries

Course-integrated library and technology instruction is available, synchronously (live sessions via Zoom, etc) and asynchronously (tutorial, videos, embedding librarians in Canvas). Start by requesting a session to consult about how best to meet the learning goals for the course.

Ask a Librarian remains available through chat, text, email, and online appointments.

Subject specialists and functional specialists are available by email and online appointments. Their scheduling links will be in their in profile info (here is an example).

Online support is available for specialized locations and spaces, such as Clark Library, Computer and Video Game Archive, Papyrology Collection, ScholarSpace, Shapiro Design Lab, and Special Collections Research Center.

Borrowing and Accessing Materials 

U-M credentials serve as an all-access pass to the Libraries’ online resources. A UMICH VPN sent to Tunnel Everything will allow off-campus access to licensed resources.

HathiTrust Emergency Temporary Access Services (ETAS) is a major tool in the Libraries’ access toolbox. HathiTrust ETAS increases equitable remote access to collections, but also defines when the Libraries can and can’t provide access to physical items on-site. Once an item is available through HathiTrust ETAS, they are not able to provide physical access to the Libraries’ copy of the document.

Access to Physical Collections

Contactless pickup is available for items NOT in HathiTrust ETAS. Request this through the Catalog. Currently there is about a week between request and when the item becomes available for pick-up. This includes Askwith Media Library items, which have a one week loan period.

Document Delivery and Interlibrary Loan are available and allow libraries to scan small portions of hard-copy items, such as book chapters and journal articles, and to borrow physical copies of items from other institutions. 

If you need access to library-use-only materials or items in the physical collection, the Libraries have processes in place to triage these requests -- they may also have other ways of providing remote access. Start by contacting the collection or subject specialist.

Please consider these limitations when creating new or re-using past assignments:

• Physical materials still have to be quarantined for a week after use.
• Microform machines are available but limited to one user at a time.

Plan and consult as far in advance as possible!