Leganto - Integrated Course Reserves

students reading on laptops

Leganto is the U of I Library’s integrated course reserves platform that helps make course materials more accessible to students. Embedded directly into your Canvas course and connected to the library’s resources, Leganto allows instructors to easily create and customize reading lists, so that students can access all their course materials in one place.

Feedback from instructors shows that Leganto is intuitive to use with a low barrier to entry, and has significant benefits for teaching and learning. These benefits include:

  • Reduced workload for instructors
    • Reading lists can be saved and reused across semesters
    • Ability to create multiple reading lists in draft form allows instructors to work at their own pace
    • Autonomy in developing, changing, updating, and saving course lists
  • Improved student experience
    • Centrally located course materials
    • Affordable, equitable access to library-purchased materials
    • Interactive platform increases student engagement
  • Seamless library integration and support
    • Add library subscriptions, open education resources, popular media, and multimedia
    • Get expert support for help with copyright, accessibility, and other questions
    • “Cite It” feature allows direct import for readings wherever, whenever

Getting Started

To get started using Leganto the library will need to activate your Canvas course–please follow the instructions below. Once activated, you will be ready to add, edit, save, and customize reading lists in Canvas.

To learn more watch our Leganto workshop video, read our curating a reading list guide, or contact libreserve@uidaho.edu for personalized help. For general help with Canvas, please check CETL’s excellent support resources.

1. Let the library know your Course ID number

  • From within your Canvas course, navigate to “Settings” and the “Course Details” tab. Your course ID number is in the SIS ID field.
  • Copy and paste the Course ID (in the example above, 202100_123LIB) and email it to libreserve@uidaho.edu.
  • If you don’t see a SIS ID number (common for Independent Study of Idaho classes), please contact CETL (cetl@uidaho.edu) to request one manually be assigned. Make sure to let them know your course name and code.

In Canvas a resource list can be added as a stand-alone Module or can be added to an existing Module.

A. Add as stand-alone module

  • Navigate to the “Modules”
  • Click “Create a New Module” or click the “+ Module” button in upper right corner.
  • You can title the Module anything you want.
  • Once the module is created, click the “+” sign in the module’s title bar.
  • Under the “Add” dropdown, select “External Tool.”
  • Select the “Library Resource List” option. This will add the link to your new module.
  • Once the link is added and clicked on, all reading lists associated with your course should show up.
  • For your students to see the list you will need to make sure the module and the list are not hidden.

B. Add to an existing module

  • Click the “+” sign next to the module where you would like the Library Resources List.
  • Under the “Add” dropdown, select “External Tool.”
  • Select the “Library Resource List” option. This will add the link to your new module.
  • Once the link is added and clicked on, all reading lists associated with your course should show up.
  • For your students to see the list, you will need to make sure the module and the list are not hidden.

Leganto FAQ

Leganto is already embedded in your Canvas course; we just have to activate it. Follow our guide above to activate Leganto and make your reading lists available from within your course.

Once you’ve activated Leganto, you can easily add, edit, save, and customize reading lists. Generally, instructors find this to be an intuitive process, and you can refer to our detailed instructions for additional support.

There are many benefits to using Leganto for both instructors and students. These include:

  • Reduced workload for instructors
  • Reading lists can be saved and reused across semesters
  • Ability to create multiple reading lists in draft form allows instructors to work at their own pace
  • Autonomy in developing, changing, updating, and saving course lists
  • Improved student experience
  • Centrally located course materials
  • Affordable, equitable access to library-purchased materials
  • Interactive platform increases student engagement
  • Seamless library integration and support
  • Add library subscriptions, open education resources, popular media, and multimedia
  • Get expert support for help with copyright, accessibility, and other questions
  • “Cite It” feature allows direct import for readings wherever, whenever

Yes! Leganto has a browser add-on called “Cite It!” that allows users to import citations directly into Leganto from other locations. To add this feature to your browser, log in to Canvas, navigate to your Leganto home page, and click your user name or initials in the upper right corner. Then select “Cite It!”, and drag and drop the “Cite It!” link to your browser’s toolbar.

Library review is like a ‘Submit’ button. This shares your reading list changes with the library and lets us double check to make sure everything looks good in terms of access and copyright.

Yes! We can work with you to activate Leganto for your course; please email libreserve@uidaho.edu and we can help you get started on the process.

Please fill out this form to share your thoughts with us, or email libreserve@uidaho.edu if you need help or have additional questions.

We’re happy to help; please email libreserve@uidaho.edu and we can walk you through the process and answer any questions you might have. For general help with Canvas, please check the excellent support available from CETL.