Course Reserves

On This Page

The instructions below are for the New Leganto User Interface (UI), which will be enabled at Penn on 5/22/24.

Please see the instructions for how to use the Classic Leganto UI before the enablement date.

  1. On This Page
  2. Introduction to Leganto, the Course Reserves Tool Within Canvas
  3. Add Course Reserves (Leganto) to a Canvas site
  4. Organizing Content in Sections 
  5. Linking to Course Reserve Materials in Modules & the Rich Content Editor
  6. Copying Reserves Content Over From Another Site 
  7. Resources
  8. Get Help

Introduction to Leganto, the Course Reserves Tool Within Canvas

Leganto is a course reserves tool that allows instructors to easily add and organize resources from Penn Libraries within their Canvas sites via the “Course Materials @ Penn Libraries” tab in the course navigation.

All content previously added to Ares, the old course reserves tool, is available to duplicate as a new list in Leganto. 

Add Course Reserves (Leganto) to a Canvas site

To use Course Reserves in a Canvas site, you must first add it to the site’s navigation menu.

  1. Go to Settings > Navigation > and drag the button for “Course Materials @ Penn Libraries” into the course menu. Click “Save.”
  2. Click on the “Course Materials @ Penn Libraries” button to launch the tool. 
  3. Select “Create a new list from scratch” > “Create new list” to start.
  4. Provide a title for the list and click “Next.”
  5. Create sections if desired, then click “Create list.”

Add Items to a Reading List

Follow the Ex-Libris instructions instructions to add items to your list.

Final Steps

Lists are published by default. As part of your final steps on your Canvas site, however, you should double-check that your lists are visible to students and appear as you expect.

Online items should be available immediately. Physical items and items that require scanning will automatically be sent to Reserves and have their statuses updated when they are available (see Step 5, Wait for us to process your items).

Please note that the Test Student/ Canvas Student View does not work with Leganto. To view your reading list as a student use the “View list as a student” tool to preview how it will appear.

Organizing Content in Sections 

Sections are a way to organize content in Leganto. They are distinct from modules and sections in Canvas. Content can be broken into sections by week, topic, etc. to organize items for students.

Learn how to add a section to a course list.

Linking to Course Reserve Materials in Modules & the Rich Content Editor

To link to course reserves materials in Modules and the Canvas Rich Content Editor, Course Materials @ Penn Libraries must already be enabled in the course. You also must have at least 1 item saved to your course reserves list.

In a Module: 

  1. Click the + Icon:
  2. Select “external tool” from the drop-down.
  3. Click on “Course Materials @ Penn Libraries” which will pull up a menu where you can check off a specific item. 
  4. Click “Select” and “Add Item.” 

In the Rich Text Editor (RCE):

  1. In the RCE, click on the ” add icon pic here” icon in the RCE menu (next to the green Panopto icon).
  2. Check off the item(s) you want to add.
  3. Click “add.”
  4. Click “Save” to save your changes.

If you are copying your course for a new semester using the Duplicate function, make sure to select “yes” to “Do you want sharable links to the original list to redirect to the duplicated list once it is published?” if the course you’re copying from is no longer active (ie, in a past term).

Copying Reserves Content Over From Another Site 

Course Reserves lists do not copy over as part of Canvas Course Copy/Import or Blueprint Sync.

To duplicate a course list for a new semester:

  1. Start in the site you want to copy content to.
  2. Click on the Course Materials @ Penn Libraries” tab.
    • If this tab is not enabled, follow the directions to add Course Reserves to a Canvas site.
  3. Choose the option to “Create list from an existing list” by clicking “Select existing list”.
  4. Find the list you want to copy, and choose “Duplicate list”. This will create a new copy of the previously created list for the new course site.
  5. You’ll be asked “Do you want sharable links to the original list to redirect to the duplicated list once it is published?” We generally advise the following: 
    • Choose “No” if the course you’re copying from is still active.
    • Choose “Yes” if the course you’re copying from is no longer active.
  6. Click “Create List”.

See the Ex-Libris instructions on Duplicating a List for visuals.

Find Content from Ares, the old Course Reserves Tool

All content previously added to Ares, the old tool, is available to duplicate from in Leganto. If the content from Ares is not showing up as a previously created list in Leganto to duplicate, try the following:

  1. Find the Canvas site for the semester you want to copy Ares content from in your Past Courses.
  2. Add Course Reserves (Course Materials @ Penn Libraries tab) to the past site’s navigation again.
  3. Once the Course Reserves tab has been added to the previous term site’s navigation, the content from Ares should be available in Leganto. You can now follow the directions for duplicating a list into the current term site.

Resources

Get Help

Please contact canvas@pobox.upenn.edu for assistance with enabling the course reserves tool in Canvas.

If you have any questions about reserve items, please contact the reserves department at your library.

Last Updated: 16 May 2024