When you log in to Blackboard and enter your course click on the "SPU Library" link to the left on the red bar, a new browser window will open displaying the SPU Library home page (see image #1).  Click on "Databases" (see image #2) and then choose any one of the databases from the list (see image #3).  A box will pop up asking for you to login.  Enter your SPU Library login information: your name, your SPU student ID number, and your library PIN (which was originally set as your birthday - mmddyy). Then return to your Blackboard course window by clicking on the "Blackboard" browser window button on the Windows' bar at the bottom of your computer screen.

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Following this procedure will allow you to move around inside the library databases while in your course session without having to authenticate each time you try to access an different article linked to your Blackboard course Discussion Board from the library databases.  The technological reason behind having to log in to the library resources separately from Blackboard stems from the the fact each system is housed on a different computer server.  Each server needs you to authenticate yourself as a valid SPU user in order to let you through its security protocol.      

IMPORTANT NOTE: It is important to launch the library window from the Blackboard course link to the SPU Library in order for this to work.  Opening a new browser window from your computer's desktop or your Windows' bar at the bottom of the screen may not work the same convenient way.

Who do you contact for help logging into the library databases?

If you can not log in to the library databases, you may contact the SPU librarians at the library reference desk by email, reference@spu.edu, or by phone, 206-281-2419, or contact me, Jenifer Phelan, directly by email, sigafoes@spu.edu, or by phone, 206-281-2074.  Please describe in detail what is happening when you try to login. For library reference desk desk hours see the Questions section below.
 

Access the library database you wish to use.  For education courses you may wish to try these subject databases: ERIC via EBSCOhost or PsycINFO via EBSCOhost.  A general databases that may be useful is Academic Search Premier via EBSCOhost.  Below are instructions for obtaining what are called persistent links to articles from the EBSCOhost databases to cut and paste into your course discussion board. 

Creating Persistent Links to EBSCOhost Database Articles:

1.) Search for the article.
2.) Click on the blue article title so you can look at the article citation and abstract page.

3.) Once on the citation and abstract page use your left mouse button to highlight and copy this entire citation from the "Title" line down through the line that says "Database" so your classmates will know which database you got the article from.  Note the "Persistent link to the Article" line of the citation and abstract information.  You must include this link and the link must have the words "deborah.spu.edu" in the middle of it for this link to work.  The database should display the link formatted correctly.  Please note: If you email this page to yourself and copy the link from your email - it will not work.

BE CONSIDERATE OF YOUR CLASSMATES: If the citation and abstract page says "linked full text" on it, click on that link until you are looking at the HTML full text or a direct link to the pdf file before you highlight and copy.  This will save your classmates a step when viewing your article selection.  Even if the HTML full text is available on the citation and abstract screen only highlight and copy from the "Title" line through the "Database" line.  Your classmates can pull that full text page back up from the persistent link you are now going to post in the discussion board.
 

4.) Now return to your Blackboard course by clicking on the other browser window button on your Windows' bar at the bottom of your computer screen.  View the discussion board message you are about to submit with this article information.  Place the cursor where you would like to have this citation and abstract inserted in your message window and click paste then submit your posting.
 

5. Next scroll down through what you have just pasted to the portion that says "Persistent link to this record."  Highlight the persistent link, click on the Copy icon and then click on the Hyperlink icon provided by Blackboard. When the "Hyperlink Properties" box pops up, see below, paste your persistent link over the "http://" that is already in the URL box. 

 

Now click submit and view your posting.  It should look like the image below.  The persistent link to your article should now show as a link that will lead your classmates to the full text from the database when they click on it.

Please note: When reading the discussion board postings, it is important to have already logged in to the library databases as described in STEP 1 above.  This will allow you to have seamless access back and forth between the library databases and your Blackboard course.

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Blackboard Login

Jenifer Sigafoes Phelan
Education Librarian