| Access | You can access LOCR through Canvas if your instructor has set this up, or you can log in to LOCR outside of Canvas. | |
|---|---|---|
| Bandwidth | Low demand on internet connections. | |
| Privacy | Complies with UBC’s privacy requirements. |
What will I use it for?
Your instructor may ask you to use LOCR to access library items specific to the course:
- Read electronic or physical articles and books
- View web and media resources
- Access PDFs of book chapters
This tool guide was last reviewed in April 2025.
What do I need to use LOCR?
A supported web browser
LOCR runs in your web browser and supports the latest versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari.
A UBC course that uses course reserves
You will only see a list of items in LOCR for a course if your instructor has requested them.
Tips
- If you recently registered for a course that uses LOCR, it may take up to 48 hours to gain access to LOCR. If you still have trouble accessing your course reserves after several days, please contact your instructor.
Access your course reserves in LOCR
There are two ways you can access course reserves in LOCR: from inside a Canvas course (if your instructor has enabled this) or from the standalone LOCR site.
Please note that your course reserves might not yet appear in LOCR if they are still awaiting approval by the UBC Library. You can speak with your instructor to confirm which resources you should currently have access to in LOCR.
- Log in to your Canvas course and click Library Online Course Reserves in the Course Navigation.
- The LOCR site will open in a new tab, and you will see a list of the available course reserves.
Tips
- Not all instructors will add LOCR to the Course Navigation in Canvas. If you cannot find LOCR in the Course Navigation, check if your instructor has published links to course reserves in the course modules instead. You can also log in directly to the standalone LOCR site.
- Log in to the standalone LOCR site using your UBC CWL (Campus-Wide Login).
- Select the course in the "Course" column.
- You will see a list of the available course reserves.
Tips
- You can filter your list of courses in LOCR. Check the "Show current and future courses only" and/or "Show courses with readings only" boxes. The "Show current and future courses only" filter is turned on by default. You can also turn off these filters to access course reserves from past courses, if they are still available.
Interact with your course reserves in LOCR
In LOCR, you can click any course to see its course reserves list. Use the search box to search for a specific course reserve item by title, author, or tag. Instructors may use tags to describe and organize the course reserves. For example, an instructor might add a "Week 1" tag to all items that should be read in the first week of the course.
Under the "Read" column, each item in the course reserves list will indicate if you have previously accessed it. Clicking any item title will allow you to view an electronic item directly or see where a physical item is available on campus.
Each electronic item has a set start and end date that indicates its availability to you in LOCR. These availability dates mean that you may not be able to access all the course reserves after the course ends, so please download any electronic items you want to continue accessing.
Where can I get more support with LOCR?
Technical support
If you have trouble with LOCR:
- Contact your instructor or teaching assistant as your first point of contact.
- If you are having trouble accessing LOCR from Canvas, please log in to the standalone LOCR site to access your course reserves.
- If you encounter errors when accessing an electronic item, contact Koerner Library at koerner.reserve@ubc.ca.
- Contact us at the LT Hub for further assistance:
604 827 4775 or LT.hub@ubc.ca or visit the LT Hub online.
Online learning support
- Visit UBC’s Keep Learning site and the Chapman Learning Common’s student toolkits.
- Visit the UBC Vancouver’s Centre for Accessibility page or the UBC Okanagan’s Disability Resource Centre page to learn more about available support for students with disabilities and ongoing medical conditions.
Learn more
- Explore the UBC Library’s “Student Resources” tab for LOCR on the Library’s course reserves page.