Every term, faculty assign readings. Every term, students need to get to them. And every term, the library already provides more of what’s taught than most people realize.
A library may already provide a reading a student is about to buy. Another assigned title may be missing, available in a different edition, or difficult to access.
Students feel it too. Readings are spread across the catalog, databases, course pages and the bookstore, and it isn’t always clear which version to use or where to find it.
Answering those questions course by course takes work. We built WyderNet so libraries can match their collections to the curriculum, put what they already provide to use where it matters most, and show the impact on teaching and learning.
The best measure of a collection is how well it supports the courses on campus. That means looking at everything a course assigns, not just the textbook: the chapters, articles and readings that never appear on a bookstore list.
Librarians can enrich each course collection with related materials from the library’s collections, so students see more of what the library offers for what they’re studying.
Budgets are tight. Before the library buys, it should know what it already provides, which version a course needs, and whether an open alternative could work instead.
Libraries do a great deal to support teaching, much of it out of sight. Course by course, WyderNet shows how much of what’s assigned the library provides and for how many students, so libraries can tell that story with evidence.
One link per course, to the catalog record, the ebook or the copy on reserve. Students shouldn’t have to search, or buy what the library already provides.
WyderNet does the first check. Librarians review every match and make every decision about collections and access. Faculty involvement is welcome and always optional.
AI is changing how libraries work, and libraries are right to ask hard questions about it. Our approach is simple.
When a syllabus is used, AI does one thing: it extracts the assigned readings and their details.
Librarians review every match before anything is shared with faculty or students.
Your course materials are not used to train AI models. WyderNet runs on Anthropic’s Claude through Amazon Bedrock.
WyderNet uses a read-only connection to your library’s discovery service or holdings.
WyderNet works with EBSCO Discovery Service, Primo and WorldCat Discovery, and alongside course reserves and reading list tools.
A course can start from a bookstore list, a reading list or a syllabus, or come in from your learning management system.
I spent 11 years at EBSCO working with academic libraries. Again and again, I saw libraries do essential work connecting their collections to what’s taught, often by hand, title by title, with little time to show the difference it made.
WyderNet is built to support that work: to help libraries see what they already provide, fill the gaps wisely, and show their place at the center of teaching and learning. We’re building it together with libraries, and we’d love to hear how your library approaches it.
Tamir Borensztajn, Founder
Book a demo to explore WyderNet and discuss your library’s course materials workflow.