In either case, UBC Library staff will ensure that your course reserves are copyright compliant and will handle acquisitions of any required licences.
| Access | You can access LOCR through Canvas, if you add LOCR to your Canvas course. Or you can log in to LOCR outside of Canvas. | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free. | |
| Bandwidth | Low demand on internet connections. | |
| Canvas Integration | Works in coordination with Canvas. | |
| Privacy | Verified by UBC’s Privacy Impact Assessment process. | |
| Similar UBC-Supported Tools | N | LOCR is the only centrally-supported tool for managing your course reserves. |
What can I use it for?
You can use LOCR to provide course materials to your students in a variety of ways:
- Adding articles, books, web links, and media resources to your Canvas course
- Linking directly to course materials from anywhere in or outside of Canvas
- Sharing PDFs of book chapters
- Setting up access to readings in future terms
A note about LOCR
It can take up to two weeks for staff to review incoming course reserve requests and make them available, depending on the type of material and time of year. Please submit your requests with enough lead time. Library staff make efforts to secure all requested items, but cannot guarantee that requests received later will be fulfilled on time.
This tool guide was last reviewed in February 2021.
What do I need to use LOCR?
A supported web browser
LOCR runs in your web browser and supports using the latest versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari.
A Canvas course (optional but recommended)
You can use LOCR as a standalone application, but we recommend using it with a Canvas course, to provide the easiest access for students to your course reserves. All UBC courses have matching courses in Canvas automatically created, with the enrolled students added, even if you have never used Canvas.
Tips
- No matter how you choose to use LOCR, you will only need to request course reserves in one place, and you and your students will have access to them in or outside of the Canvas course.
Set the availability of your course reserves
For LOCR content to be accessible to your students, you must make sure your course has the correct end date. This end date is set by default based on what term your course is associated with in Canvas, even if you won't use your Canvas course to access LOCR.
Please verify this course information before you make a request in LOCR by following the steps below.
- Log in to your Canvas course, and click Settings in the Course Navigation.
- Click the Course Details tab.
- Scroll down until you see "Term", and confirm that your course is associated with the correct term.
- If the term is correct, you don't need to do anything else. Once available, your LOCR course materials will be accessible until eight weeks after the last day of class for the term.
- If the term is incorrect:
- Fill out the Starts and Ends dates below the term.
- Check the box underneath the end date that says "Students can only participate in the course between these dates".
- Click Update Course Details, and your new dates will override the term default.
Add LOCR to your Canvas course
- If your course has multiple sections, these sections should be merged on Canvas before setting up LOCR, to ensure that enrollment numbers are correct for copyright clearances. Contact your faculty’s Instructional Support Unit or contact us in the LT Hub to request a merge.
- Log in to your Canvas course, and click Settings in the Course Navigation.
- Click the Navigation tab.
- Find the Library Online Course Reserves menu item, click the options menu (the 3 vertical dots), and choose Enable.
- Save your setting changes.
- The Library Online Course Reserves menu item will now be available in the Course Navigation for you and your students.
Tips
- You can add LOCR as part of a Canvas module instead, if you want to contextualize the reading within a specific part of your course. When adding an item to your module, select "External Tool" from the drop-down menu and click "Library Online Course Reserves" from the list.
Request course reserves through LOCR
You can request course reserves in LOCR by adding the content yourself (Self Service) or sending a list of readings (Syllabus Service) for librarians to add for you. In either case, UBC Library staff will ensure that your course reserves are copyright compliant and will handle acquisitions of any required licences.
Using Self Service, you will add item requests individually to your course reserves using the search form in LOCR. If you have used LOCR for another course, you can also import previous requests into a course.
Instructions for both these processes are outlined in the "Self Service" tab under the "Instructor Resources" tab on UBC Library's course reserves page.
Using Syllabus Service, you will request all items for your course reserves at once by submitting a PDF or Word document to LOCR. The document must include specific information:
- The course name and course code
- Your name and contact information
- Full citations for works, including page numbers where applicable
- Loan period for physical items to be put in course reserves collection
- Whether each course reading is required or optional for students
- Request for new purchases for the Library collections
Instructions and options for submitting your document are outlined in the "Syllabus Service" tab under the "Instructor Resources" tab on UBC Library's course reserves page.
Tips
- You can access LOCR from courses.library.ubc.ca or from your Canvas course, if you added LOCR there, by clicking the Library Online Course Reserves item in your Course Navigation.
- You are encouraged to submit your requests well in advance of the start of term, as materials are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
- If you already have PDFs of any course materials you can't find in LOCR, please share them by emailing the files to UBC Library at syllabus.service@ubc.ca. Having the files may help staff expedite approvals.
- Once you add items, you can edit, delete, and view status information about them, including seeing the numbers of students who have clicked an item.
- Changes to the start and end dates of your course may temporarily affect the availability of your course reserves. Requests are approved based on specific dates, and if licences are needed for the use of any material, the dates will need to be adjusted on those accordingly.
Where can I get more support with LOCR?
Technical support
If you have trouble with LOCR:
- Contact your Library branch as your first point of contact. If you do not know your branch, click the “Need Help” tab inside of LOCR to find it.
- Contact us for further assistance:
604 827 4775 or LT.hub@ubc.ca or visit the LT Hub online.
Student support
- Share UBC’s LOCR student guide with your students.
Learn more
- Read answers to LOCR frequently asked questions under the “Troubleshooting and FAQ” tab and explore other instructor resources on UBC Library’s course reserves page.