diff --git a/templates/course_dashboard.html b/templates/course_dashboard.html
index 093da69..99f0492 100644
--- a/templates/course_dashboard.html
+++ b/templates/course_dashboard.html
@@ -1131,9 +1131,17 @@
         function loadLibrary() {
             const libraryCard = document.getElementById('library-card');
             if (!libraryCard) return;
-            libraryTrail = [];
-            fetchLibraryLevel(null);
-            history.replaceState({ libraryTrail: [], path: null }, '');
+            // If we landed here via popstate/reload from a course view
+            // that got unloaded (see the popstate listener below), the
+            // current history entry may already carry the folder trail
+            // we were browsing before the course was loaded - restore it
+            // instead of always resetting to the library root.
+            const restored = history.state && history.state.libraryTrail;
+            libraryTrail = restored ? history.state.libraryTrail : [];
+            fetchLibraryLevel(libraryTrail.length ? libraryTrail[libraryTrail.length - 1].path : null);
+            if (!restored) {
+                history.replaceState({ libraryTrail: [], path: null }, '');
+            }
         }
 
         // Drilling into a folder only ever swapped #library-groups's
@@ -1148,6 +1156,17 @@
         }
 
         window.addEventListener('popstate', function(event) {
+            {% if course %}
+            // The course view is a distinct server-side render tied to
+            // current_course, not something this page can patch back to
+            // client-side - unload the course and reload so back actually
+            // returns to the library/dashboard instead of doing nothing
+            // (which would otherwise leave a stale course view on screen
+            // while quietly burning through history entries until there's
+            // nowhere left to go but out of the app).
+            fetch('/reset_course').then(function() { location.reload(); });
+            return;
+            {% endif %}
             const state = event.state;
             if (!state || !document.getElementById('library-card')) return;
             libraryTrail = state.libraryTrail || [];
@@ -1385,6 +1404,11 @@
             .then(r => r.json())
             .then(data => {
                 if (data.success) {
+                    // A plain reload doesn't touch history, so without this
+                    // push there'd be nothing for back to land on once the
+                    // course view replaces this page - see the popstate
+                    // listener above for how landing back here unloads it.
+                    history.pushState({ courseLoaded: true }, '');
                     location.reload();
                 } else {
                     alert('Error: ' + data.error);