For Faculty: Linking to Library Resources in Blackboard

To link to a database article in Blackboard, use the permanent URL (a non-changing web address). Contact a librarian if you cannot find the permanent link for a particular book, book chapter, article or video.

The EZ Proxy URL is already embedded in these databases' links:

• Film on Demand automatically includes the EZ Proxy prefix in its video links. It's located under the video's description, under Embed/Link. Choose Record URL to link to the entire film, or Segment URL to link to the specific section of the video. Click the Copy button and paste it into Blackboard.

• EBSCO databases: Search and find a specific book, e-book, article. From your results page, click on the title to go to the Detailed Record. Use the Permalink, linked at the bottom of right column in the Detailed Record. Copy and paste it into Blackboard.
   
• ProQuest databases: Click on the article's Abstract/Details tab and scroll to the bottom to find the Document URL. Copy and paste it into Blackboard. Or, click the Bookmark link at the top of the page and copy that URL. 
   
• Gale: At the bottom of the article's page, in the gray "Source Citation" box, copy and paste the article's URL. 
   

Add the EZ Proxy URL into these databases' links so students can log in from off-campus:

• ProQuest Ebook Central™ (formerly ebrary) electronic books:
  • Once you've found an e-book listed in the library's databases, click the link "An electronic book accessible through the World Wide Web; click to view."  This will lead you to the electronic book in the ProQuest Ebook Central database. Click the link called "Share Link to Book." Copy the URL but make sure to add the proxy prefix using the directions to the left.
  • You can also link to specific chapters: with the electronic book on the screen, click a chapter link and then click the "Share Link" link icon at the top of the chapter. Copy the link URL and add the proxy prefix.
  • Please let a librarian know which titles you are linking to. Various ProQuest Ebook Central publishers limit page printing and downloads. A librarian can check your titles with ProQuest Ebook Central to see if the titles you chose have limits, which could prevent some of your students from accessing certain ebooks. 
  • If you found a book by using the book search box, you could use the EBSCO Detailed Record's link from a book search, as described above. Student would then click the phrase "An electronic book accessible through the World Wide Web; click to view," log in and view the entire book. 
     
• AVON video database. add the prefix to the URL listed under Embed/Link.  
   
• JSTOR: The article URL is called a Stable URL, It's located near the top of the article abstract page, below the journal's cover photo and DOI number. Copy and paste it into Blackboard, and add the proxy URL. That will lead users to the abstract page; students can then click the PDF link and use the "Cite This Item" feature.  
   
• ScienceDirect: When you find an article you'd like to link on Blackboard, copy and paste the DOI link [starts with https://doi.org/...] under the article title. Copy and paste the URL into Blackboard, and add the proxy URL.

What if the database has no permanent URL?:

• Some databases do not offer permanent URLs because the information is constantly updated, such as Hoover's business database. Just:
  • direct your students to the library website or a research guide, such as the "Companies & Stock Market" guide,
  • tell then which database you'd like them to search and
  • give them the search terms you'd like them to use.  
  • Students can log on to search the database directly.  

Questions: contact the SUNY Adirondack reference desk at 518-743-2200 ext. 2462.

Why is an EZ Proxy prefix needed? 
Article and book databases are subscription services available through the SUNY Adirondack Library's web site. They are not available to the general public from off-campus.

Databases require users to log in from off-campus with a username/password. This information must go through the EZ Proxy server software. Some databases to include it already (see list to the right). If not, just add it.

How do I add it? 

To link to a database article in Blackboard, include the proxy server URL (in red below) in front of the article's permanent link URL.

SUNY Adirondack Proxy Server URL:  https://ezproxy.sunyacc.edu/login?url=

What will the finished URL look like? 

Below is an example of what an article database link would look like in Blackboard, with the EZ Proxy URL added in front of the permanent URL. It is long!

https://ezproxy.sunyacc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=65444627&site=ehost-live

For step-by-step directions and narrated videos, log into Blackboard  > Faculty FAQ > Workshop 5: Linking To Library Database information From Blackboard​ Using the Proxy Server. 

Contact Paul McLean (ext. 7607 or mcleanp@sunyacc.edu) with any Blackboard questions.

To create a permalink to a record found in Primo, click on the permalink icon (with paperclip) and copy the URL.

*records in PrimoVE do not need an ezproxy prefix

Your library database links to articles, videos or ebooks in Blackboard may have been changed over the summer of 2019. SUNY Adirondack and other SUNY libraries switched vendors for the “Start Your Research Here” metasearch box on the library’s home page. If you’ve posted links to articles/videos/books found using the database search box, librarian Joyce Miller can find updated links for you to replace them. The metasearch box gathers results from the library's 120 databases of books, article and videos. 

This affects you if: 

• You use Blackboard AND have library database links to specific articles, videos or e-book chapters AND found those links through the “Start Your Research Here” search box. 

This will not affect you if:

• You do not use Blackboard.
• You use Blackboard, but link only to the library’s subject research guides, not individual articles found through library databases. 
• You found the links by directly searching an individual database like ProQuest Central or EBSCO’s Academic Search Complete, and bypassed the metasearch box.  

What to do: 

• If you’re not sure if this affects you, copy and paste the links in an email to Joyce. She'll let you know if they need replacing. 
  • The link URLs will have the letters “eds” in them, indicating the EBSCO Discovery Service was used to find them. The EDS box was replaced with a new service from ProQuest in August, 2019.
• Joyce will give you new database links that bypass the EDS metasearch box and instead connect directly to the actual databases, which will remain as usual.  
  • Just send her a list of your Blackboard links (and/or the citations), in an email, Google Doc or other document. Send one course's links at a time, or all at once.  
  • If you have any questions, please email millerja@sunyacc.edu.