April 27, 2020
Course content planning and temporary access to materials during COVID-19
Due to COVID-19, many publishers have removed paywalls for certain materials allowing users free access to articles, e-books and databases. While this is a great benefit to the community, this access is only temporary. Instructors should exercise caution when considering the use of these materials in upcoming courses as the current free access is not guaranteed in the future.
K-State Libraries is an advocate for open access publishing models. A list of open access journals that are always available for free is available online. Users can also utilize tools like the Open Access Button or the Unpaywall browser extension to find open and free versions of articles. K-State Libraries' Center for the Advancement of Digital Scholarship is also happy to help answer questions regarding open access and copyright.
Users are also encouraged to use the K-State Libraries Search It discovery tool to find materials that are available from K-State Libraries. Using the permalink feature when posting articles in Canvas will ensure compliance with copyright law and create more accurate usage data which can influence collection decisions.
For further assistance regarding strategies for finding and incorporating materials into your courses, contact your librarian.