Setting Up Course Reserves

Instructors or TAs can submit reserves requests directly through Canvas, as well as import course reserves lists from previous courses (including Chalk courses).

Using Canvas to Submit Course Reserves

Importing Course Reserves Lists From Previous Courses (Including Chalk)

Copyright for Course Reserves

Student Access to Reserves

Scan and Deliver should not be used in place of course reserves.

What Are Course Reserves?

Course reserves are high-demand resources assigned for a specific course.

Articles, book chapters, or essays on reserve are available electronically (E-Reserve).

Books, films, music or other items that are not available online are placed physically "on reserve" at the Library. These items are available to students on a short loan (2 hours, 4 hours, or sometimes 24 or 48 hours).

Advantages of Course Reserves

Copyright concerns are addressed.
Our staff follow the policies set by the University regarding copyright and fair use.

We do the scanning.
Library staff will scan chapters of books or articles for e-reserve, and create links to the Library's online collections.

We'll help you find the items you need for your course.
The Library's collections are available to support your teaching. If the Library doesn't have a particular item that you need for class, in some cases, we can purchase the item specifically for reserves.

Types of Course Reserves

Electronic Reserves (E-Reserves)
Electronic reserves are scanned copies or online documents that have been made available for students registered in a course. Many book chapters and journal articles are available as e-reserves. Most e-reserve items are in PDF format.

Physical Reserves
Books, films, and other items that cannot be placed on e-reserve are held at the circulation desks of our different campus libraries. Certain policies have been put in place in order to ensure equal access to material for all students in a course.

• Shortened Loan Period: Usually 2, 4, or 24 hours, and fines accrue as soon as the item is late.
• Check-Out Limits: Users may only borrow 2 reserves items at a time (except for D'Angelo Law Library reserves).
• Returns: Users must return reserves items to the library that loaned them.
• No Repeat Check-Outs: Users must wait 20 minutes after returning a reserves item to borrow it again, unless an identical copy is currently available.
• No Recalls or Renewals: Reserves items are available on a first come, first serve basis and cannot be renewed or recalled

Permanent Reserves
The Library keeps some books or other print items on reserve year-round, even when they are not requested for a course. The physical reserves policies apply to permanent reserves. Permanent reserves items are not associated to a course, and must be located by searching the Library Catalog.

Crerar Library also maintains a list of Core Science Texts on Permanent Reserve, organized by subject.

Eckhart Library maintains a similar list of items on Permanent Reserve at Eckhart.