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.

If you previously added content to Ares, Penn’s former course reserves tool, it can be duplicated as a new list in Leganto.

Adding Course Reserves to Canvas

Enable the course reserves tool

  1. Log in to Canvas.
  2. Click Courses and choose a course.
  3. Once in the course, enable Course Materials @ Penn Libraries in the course settings.
  4. Refresh the page, then click Course Materials @ Penn Libraries where it now appears in the course navigation menu. 
  5. Select Create a new list from scratch, then Create new list.
  6. Provide a title for the list and click Next.
  7. Create sections if desired, then Create list.

Add items to a reading list

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

Organize content into sections

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

Learn how to add a section to a course list.

Check visibility

Lists are published by default. However, you should check that your lists are visible to students in Canvas and appear as expected.

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.

Online items should be available immediately. Physical items and items that require scanning will automatically be sent to Reserves, and their statuses will be updated when they are available (see Step 4, Wait for us to process your items).

Linking to Modules & the Rich Content Editor

To link to course reserves materials within Modules or the Rich Content Editor (RCE), Course Materials @ Penn Libraries must already be enabled in the course. You also must have at least one item saved to your reading list.

In a Module: 

  1. Click the + icon to add content to the module.
  2. Select External tool from the drop-down menu.
    External tool menu with Leganto indicated
  3. Click Course Materials @ Penn Libraries to display a menu of available items. 
    Leganto item selection screen
  4. Click the item you wish to add, then click Select and Add Item. 
    Add Item screen with Course Reserves @ Penn Libraries indicated

In the RCE:

  1. Click on the quotation mark icon in the RCE menu (next to the green Panopto icon).
    Leganto icon in the Canvas rich content editor
  2. Check off the item(s) you want to add.
  3. Click Add.
  4. Click Save to save your changes.

Copying Course Reserves Content

From an existing course

Course Reserves lists do not copy over as part of the Canvas Course Copy/Import or Blueprint Sync process. However, you can duplicate a course reading list from a previous semester:

  1. Begin in the Canvas course site you want to copy content into.
  2. Click Course Materials @ Penn Libraries from the course navigation menu. If this is not yet enabled, follow the directions above to enable this tool.
  3. Choose 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 and will remain active for the entire term when the new course will run.
    • 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 a visual version of these directions.

From Ares (former course reserves tool)

All content previously added to Ares, the former tool, is available to duplicate in Leganto. If the content from Ares is not appearing as an available list in Leganto to duplicate, try the following:

  1. Locate the Canvas site for the course from which you want to copy Ares content. This can be found in Canvas by clicking Courses > All Courses.
  2. Follow the directions above to enable the Course Materials @ Penn Libraries tool.
  3. Once the Course Reserves tool has been added to the site’s navigation, the content from Ares should be available in Leganto. 
  4. You can now follow the directions for duplicating a list from an existing course.

Additional Resources

Getting Help

Please contact your Local Support Provider or submit a request to canvas@pobox.upenn.edu for assistance with enabling Leganto in Canvas.

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