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Textbook Alternatives

Tips on Using Online Articles

It's fair use to link students to electronic articles in FLITEs collection. Here are some tips for doing so successfully:

1.) Link to articles; don't upload articles
Linking to articles is always fair use. Uploading or distributing copies is fair use only some of the time.

2.) Choose a link to the electronic journal subscription when possible.
When the library owns the article, it won't disappear. The articles in aggregator databases, such as ProQuest, fall in the access category; articles from the journal publishers can fall in the own or the access category. It doesn't happen frequently, but access only articles can disappear from our collection. JSTOR articles are an especially stable option.

3.) Use a stable link that includes the proxy prefix for access with a Ferris login
When using subscription resources, the web address you see at the top of your browser won't always work again for another user. See Stable Links to Library Resources below for tips on how to create stable links.

4.) Provide full citation info
If the link doesn't work, the student may be able to find the article if they have full citation info. (And, library staff have something to work with to help them.)

5.) Check your links before the semester starts
Check to be sure links are working. It's easier if links can fixed, before students panic. A good practice may be to check the links from home to check for off-campus access.

What is a stable link?

Stable links for library resources are links that can be reused, for example to link to an online article as a course reading.

In many library online resources, the URL (address) that displays in the navigation bar of your web browser is not a stable URL.  There are two potential problems:

  • The URL might be dynamic rather than persistent.  Dynamic URLs include session information that will expire and can't be reused.
  • The URL might not include Ferris's proxy prefix.  The proxy prefix gives off-campus users an opportunity to login and allows the publisher to recognize authorized Ferris users.

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