FAQs

• As a Stern faculty member, how can I get Blackboard help?

  Visit the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL).

• Can I add an e-book link to Blackboard?

  Yes, you can get e-book links to add to course pages. To get a link:

  1. Search BobCat to see if we have the e-book
  
  
  2. In BobCat, click on the "Available(GetIt)" link, or the Check for Availability link. If the book is available electronically, it will be noted in the "Electronic Version via:" section of the page
  
  
  3. On the top right of this page (before you click through to access the e-book) you'll see a URL.
  
  
  4. Copy and paste this URL into your Blackboard course page for your students to access. This link will allow them to access the e-book on or off-campus
  
  
  
  

• How can I get help with print and electronic course reserves?

  Visit the Course Reserves page, or contact Reserves via phone at 212-998-2475, or via email at: bobst.reserve.library@nyu.edu.

• How can NYU Libraries help faculty utilize Blackboard?

  Many library resources, including content from e-journals, digitial images, chapters from e-books, and audio and video files, may be linked to Blackboard pages. Students and faculty can utilize the library's vast collection of licensed electronic resources within Blackboard's online course environment.

  
  Visit the Faculty Services page for more information

• How do I create a Refworks account?

  Access Refworks from the Articles via Databases section of the libraries website. Refworks is listed among the "popular databases." From the login page, follow the link that says "new to Refworks?" and sign up for an individual account."

  
  For help using RefWorks, see the RefWorks Guide
  

• How do I get started creating a Blackboard course?

  If you are new to Blackboard, Information Technology Services (ITS) can help you set up an account and create your Blackboard course shell. The ITS website also includes descriptive information and online tutorials.

• How do I share a RefWorks folder?

  Within the "Folders" menu in RefWorks, select the option to "share folder." You will see a complete list of your folders, with adjacent buttons that each say "share folder." Simply click the "share folder" button to a generate a URL that you can email to students or copy and paste into Blackboard as an external link.
  

• I have a citation for an article I'd like to add to Blackboard for my students to read. How do I find and add this article to Blackboard?

  To see if we have the article, go to the Article Linker  form and fill in as much of the article information as you have (title, author, journal title, volume, etc)
  

  • Article Linker Instructions
  
  
  

• I have a number of readings I'd like my students to access electronically through Blackboard. Is there a way I can add all these articles?

  There are several ways you can add electronic articles to Blackboard for your students to access. You can:

  1. add your articles to RefWorks and create a shared folder from which your students can view article citations and access the full-text through the library.
  
  
  2. add your articles to course reserves.
  
  

• I want to distribute some selected readings for my class not included in the textbook. What are my options for making these readings available? Is there any limit to how much of the readings I can use?

  As a rule of thumb, you may copy a limited percentage (approximately 10%) of the book as a PDF (or other digital file) for your course. This would typically meet the guidelines for fair use. If you continue to use the PDF materials in subsequent semesters for the same course, you'll need to request permissions or consider creating a course pack. Alternately, you may request the entire book be placed on reserve at the library. If a requested book is not in the library's collection, the library will order it.

• I would like to include art images and photographs on my course LMS. Are there any image collections I can use without violating copyright?

  Access to a growing number of good-quality image databases has been licensed by NYU Libraries for NYU students and faculty:. The terms of the licenses generally allow downloading and use of images in password-protected course websites (such as Blackboard) for review and study purposes. They may also be used for classroom instruction and related activities including handouts, presentations, research, and student assignments. Additional uses may be allowed under individual licenses, such as cropping, manipulating color, as long as appropriate credit lines are used.

• I'd like help adding course readings to Blackboard

  For help adding course readings, contact your subject librarian

• I'd like to add video to my Blackboard course

  Contact the Avery Fisher Center at 998-2585 or visit online.
  

  
  Also, see the Video FAQ's

• I'm having trouble linking to an article I found in an e-journal. Can I just download the PDF and place it on my course LMS?

  The Library always attempts to get the broadest academic rights when licensing e-resources. Our recommendation is that you create persistent links to e-journal content, rather than download PDFs. For information on creating persistent links
  
  

• If I add content to my Refworks folder after I link to it in Blackboard, do I need to re-insert the link, or will it automatically update?

  You don't need to re-insert the link. The link that you initially place into Blackboard will always go to the most current version of your Refworks folder.
  

• If I find articles within databases that I want to add to Blackboard, how do I get the link?

  • If the database provides full text, there will be a full-text link or graphic with the citation. Each database is different in how they provide a link to articles, but you should see an option to "copy link" or "create durable link" within the article information. Copy that link into Blackboard. In order for your students to access this article off-campus, you'll need to add a URL prefix to the URL provided by the database. Copy this prefix (https://ezproxy.library.nyu.edu/login?url=) to the front of the article URL (no spaces) and your students will be able to access the article from on or off campus.
  
  
  • If the database does not provide full-text, but only indexes the citation, you should see a link below the citation that says " Check for availability." Clicking on the link provides you with a screen giving details on how to find the article in full-text. On the top right of the screen there is a URL (Example: URL: http://getit.library.nyu.edu/go/45324). Add this to your Blackboard page
  
  
  

• Is there library help in Blackboard for my students?

  Yes, when you access your Blackboard course site you'll see a library resources button on the bottom of your left hand navigation bar. This page provides basic services and information about the library.
  
  If you'd like to customize your page for your specific class and subject, contact your subject librarian

• What are my options for using copyrighted video or audio?

  The Library has licensed a number of audio and video collections for use in research and teaching. For information on creating durable links, click here. If the audio or video you wish to use is not available in one of these collections, you may use a limited number of excerpts for reserve purposes, as long as the original video or sound recording was legally obtained.
  

  
  

  
  Avery Fisher Center
  The Avery Fisher Center will assist in preparing portions of video or recorded sound from the Library's collection for reserves. The Avery Fisher Center can assist in identifying copyright owners for audio and video. For information about the Avery Fisher Center please click here .

  
  

  
  Digital Studio
  The Digital Studio offers resources for instructors to capture selections of audio and video and make them available in various formats. As an example, a DVD can be created from various formats of video to show selected excerpts to students in your class. For information on services at the Digital Studio and requesting an appointment please click here.
  

  
  

  
  Streaming
  If you wish to make video and audio excerpts available within your course LMS, you may want to make the clips available for streaming. A media file that is streamed from a server is not downloaded; only streaming data is sent to the user. Media clips are not retained by the user. Streaming video and audio excerpts within your course LMS is usually considered fair use. As a general matter, streaming copyright restricted media can be posted for class use for only one semester. Please see the Digital Studio for information on creating streaming media and requesting an appointment.
  

• What does the Teach Act allow me to do?

  The TEACH Act expands rights to display works and make copies for use in distance education. Click the North Carolina State University TEACH Toolkit for more information.
  
  

• What is a coursepack? How do I create one?

  If you know in advance that a course you are teaching will require a number of journal articles, individual book chapters or other materials and you want to require students to read or otherwise use such materials, you must create a coursepack. For information on creating coursepacks at NYU please see: http://www.bookstores.nyu.edu/faculty.services/course.packs.html

• What is Blackboard?

  The Blackboard Learning System provides NYU faculty with the means to develop a structured web presence for their courses. Information Technology Services (ITS) is available to help faculty create and utilize Blackboard course sites

• What is RefShare?

  Refshare is a specific feature within RefWorks that enables you to share folders with anyone. The RefShare feature simply generates a URL for a folder you would like to share. You can give the URL to anyone, even if they don't have RefWorks accounts.