For Library content, we recommend using links to Library Search records to share resources on Moodle in most circumstances.
Library Search has records to all of our printed book and e-book content. It also contains a huge number of records for journals and journal articles.
Linking to Library Search is a useful way of sharing content with your students on Moodle for the following reasons:
We recognise that linking directly to content can sometimes save clicks and promote engagement with online content.
Some publishers and content providers do not allow you to link directly to their resources. You should check whether we have permission to link to content on the A-Z Databases by clicking "permitted uses for this database" under the the relevant provider.
Be aware that, although direct links often feel like they may be straightforward, and may behave straightforwardly when you are on campus, this is not always the case for students, who do not use the same computer each time they access a resource, or who may be mainly accessing resources from home. Linking directly can end up causing more confusion and added clicks than it seeks to solve. Furthermore, any URLs on external platforms are not in the control of the Library and we may not be able to give you notice if content is changed or moved and the links break.
Direct links to specific chapters of e-books is not possible on our main two e-book platforms, VLeBooks and ProQuest Ebook Central. However, other platforms, such as Cambridge Core, JSTOR, and Taylor & Francis will allow this. The step-by-step guide at the bottom of this page will show you how to do this.
This technique will create a shareable link for all types of Library resources - physical and digital - that have a record on Library Search.
Find the item you wish to link to on Library Search.
Be sure to check the details of the item to make sure it is the correct version, edition, etc. You can sometimes do this from the preview of the resource in the search results, or else by clicking on the title to open the full record.
Click on the 'Share' button (with the branching diagram lcon). A pop-up box will appear.
Under the heading 'Link' in the pop-up box, the Library Search record address will be displayed. Click on the button 'copy link' underneath this to copy the link to the clipboard. The link will contain "newman.on.worldcat.org/oclc/" followed by the resource's item number.
Paste the URL that you have just copied to the clipboard into the appropriate URL field in the Moodle resource that you are creating.
Note: If you are not ready to create the resource on Moodle but need a place to put the link in the meantime, then use Notepad or another plain text editor - but do not use MS Word. When you copy a link from a MS Word document it adds formatting that corrupts the link so it will not work properly when you paste it in to Moodle!
The Library recommends linking to Library Search for access to our e-book content. This is because, for students who are not on campus or signed in to Birmingham Newman systems, using links to external platforms is not always as straightforward as it may appear, and students will end up having to go through extra steps in any case. Furthermore, any URLs on external platforms are not in the control of the Library and we may not be able to give you notice if content is changed or moved and the links break.
Direct links to specific chapters of e-books is not possible on our main two e-book platforms, VLeBooks and ProQuest Ebook Central. However, other platforms, such as Cambridge Core, JSTOR, and Taylor & Francis will allow this. The step-by-step guide below will guide you through how to do this.
Find the item you wish to link to using Library Search or by searching directly on the Cambridge Core platform.
Click on the title of the chapter you want to link to.
When the chapter's webpage opens, locate the 'Share' tab, between the 'Save PDF' and 'Cite' tab.
Click on the 'Share' button and click the first grey tile to 'Copy Link'.
Paste the URL that you have just copied to the clipboard into the approariate URL field in the Moodle resource that you are creating.
If you are not ready to create the resource on Moodle but need a place to put the link in the meantime, then use Notepad or another plain text editor - but do not use MS Word. When you copy a link from a MS Word document it adds formatting that corrupts the link so it will not work properly when you paste it in to Moodle!
Find the item you wish to link to using Library Search or by searching directly on the Taylor & Francis platform.
Scroll down the page to find the chapter list, then click on the title of the chapter you want to link to.
Select and copy the URL of the chapter's page int he address bar of your browser. Make sure you have selected the whole URL!
Paste the URL that you have just copied to the clipboard into the approariate URL field in the Moodle resource that you are creating.
If you are not ready to create the resource on Moodle but need a place to put the link in the meantime, then use Notepad or another plain text editor - but do not use MS Word. When you copy a link from a MS Word document it adds formatting that corrupts the link so it will not work properly when you paste it in to Moodle!
Find the item you wish to link to using Library Search or by searching directly on the JSTOR platform.
Scroll down the page to the table of contents, then click on the title of the chapter you want to link to.
Click on the URL that is given on the left-hand side of the chapter's page. This will copy the link to your clipboard.
Paste the URL that you have just copied to the clipboard into the approariate URL field in the Moodle resource that you are creating.
If you are not ready to create the resource on Moodle but need a place to put the link in the meantime, then use Notepad or another plain text editor - but do not use MS Word. When you copy a link from a MS Word document it adds formatting that corrupts the link so it will not work properly when you paste it in to Moodle!
Last reviewed: 14 March 2024
