The Canvas Library Resources page (formerly the Library Dashboard) appears in all Canvas courses at UW-Madison, both non-credit and credit. However, course resources can only be added to timetable credit courses. Course resources in the Canvas Library Resources page can include:

• Course Reading Lists
• Course Guides
• Librarian Profiles

Note that these resources cannot be added to non-credit Canvas courses, such as orientations, communities of practice, or training courses.

Identifying Subject, Course, & Section Numbers

To add course resources to the Canvas Library Resources page such as a Course Guide or a librarian profile, you will need to identify the subject and course number, which can be found in Course Reading Lists.

To identify the subject and course numbers

1. Go to the Course Reading Lists page
2. Select the semester
3. Select the subject and then the course

Now, look at the page URL in your browser for the course you selected. The URL should begin with: courselist.library.wisc.edu/semesters/

After the word "semesters/" in the page URL, you will see a 4-digit number which represents the semester, followed by a 3-digit number that represents the subject, and finally, a 3-digit number that represents the course, all separated by forward slashes. You will only need to identify the 3-digit subject number and the 3-digit course number.

In the Course Reading List example above, the subject number for English is 352 and the course number is 100.

If the course is a multi-section topics course (a course that has the same subject and course number but each section has a different topic), or if library support is for only one section of a multi-section course, you will also need a section number. If the course resource is for every section of a multi-section course, the section number is not necessary.

To identify the section number

1. Go to the Course Search & Enroll application
2. Select the term
3. Select the subject
4. Select the course
5. Select See sections button

A section can be a lecture, lab, or discussion section.

In the example, History 201 is a topics course with multiple lectures, so the section number is needed to distinguish among courses of different topics (e.g., "African Decolonization"). If resources should be visible for all sections, the lecture number (for example, 001) is used. If resources should be visible for only one discussion section, the discussion section number (for example, 301, 302, or 303) is used.

Canvas Library Resources Page

Optional course resources in a Canvas Library Resources page are:

• Course Reading Lists
• Course Guides
• Librarian Profiles
• Subject Databases
• Support & Tutorial links

Course Reading Lists

A Course Reading List provides links to course content that appears in the Library Catalog and is automatically added to the Canvas Library Resources page when it is created. Instructors can request a Course Reading list using the Course Content Requests form.

Course Guides

A Course Guide contains customized resources and links for courses and assignments.

To add a course guide to the Library Resources page (and to the list of Course Guides):

1. Check your guide's Publication Status and make sure it is Published
   1. If necessary, select the drop-down menu visible from the Unpublished/Private button in the top-right corner of the page, select Change Status & Share, and in the Publication Status drop-down menu, select Published; select Save
2. Add the current semester in parentheses at the end of the guide title; for example: (Fall 2025)
3. Select the edit pencil icon next to Type/Group and in the Guide Type drop-down menu, select Course Guide; select Save
4. Select the edit pencil icon next to URL and add a unique / friendly URL; select Save
5. Select the edit pencil icon next to Tags and add the tag in this format: course-xxx-xxx (or course-xxx-xxx-xxx if the section number is needed); select OK
   • See above for more info about finding subject, course, and section numbers
   • For example, course-488-375 or course-488-201-002
     

Notes:

• After following the above steps, it may take an hour or more for the Course Guide link to appear in the Library Resources page of a Canvas course due to server updates. Please plan ahead and be patient
• For a cross-listed course (for example, Biology 152 is cross-listed with Zoology 152), you will need to add a tag for each course
• To add more than one guide to a course (very unusual), you will need to add a tag to each guide you want to be visible in the Canvas Library Resources page

Librarian Profiles

To request that a librarian profile with contact information be added to the Library Resources page for a Canvas course, fill out the Canvas Library Resources Page form.

1. Enter the Course Name
2. Enter the Subject and Course Number
   • See above for more info about finding subject, course, and section numbers
3. Enter the Section Number (if needed)
   • Only include section number(s) if librarian contact information should not be visible to all sections of the course
4. Enter Librarian Name or select a group
   • Group profiles are recommended for large courses with multiple sections (for example, Com Arts 100)
   • For multiple librarians to be added and listed in a course, add all Librarian Names in the same form rather than filling out the form multiple times

Subject Databases

You can choose to add databases for one Subject (select one from this list) to a Canvas Library Resources page. Note that all Get Started and Core databases for that Subject will be included; individual databases cannot be customized. To request that Subject Databases be added to a Library Resources page for a Canvas course, fill out the Canvas Library Resources Page form.

Support & Tutorial Links

You can choose to add links to up to three tutorials or other resources (e.g. Calendly appointment page) to a Canvas Library Resources page. To request that custom resource links be added to a Library Resources page for a Canvas course, fill out the Canvas Library Resources Page form.

Canvas Library Resources Contact

For questions about the Canvas Library Resources page or to provide feedback, contact Jules Arensdorf: julie.arensdorf@wisc.edu or the Research Guides and Course Content Integration Team (RGCCIT): rgccit-lib@g-groups.wisc.edu