Skip to Main Content

How To: Use Course Reserves (Faculty)

HOW TO | USE FACULTY COURSE RESERVES

Library Guidelines for the Faculty Use of Reserves

The Library's Reserve Program allows faculty to identify materials for which the Library should provide controlled access during the semester. Reserves are limited to curriculum required print and non-­‐print materials that are in the collection or eligible for addition to the collection. The Library provides several means of reserving access to materials for courses:

  • Place items held in the circulating collection on reserve at the Circulation Desk
  • Place a faculty members personal item on reserve at the Circulation Desk
  • Place a copy, provided by the faculty member, on reserve at the Circulation Desk
  • Create a reserve record linking to content hosted in a database licensed by the library

There are several pre-­defined options for the circulation period of items placed on reserve, and faculty can choose from these the most appropriate loan period for their curricular needs. Since reserve items are often in demand by multiple students in a course, students are limited to on the number of reserve item that can be simultaneously charged.

The Library does not have a means of hosting electronic versions of material; faculty who choose to exercise ‘fair use’ and provide electronic materials to their students can do so using the Colleges’ course management system.

Materials can only be placed on reserve for the semester in which a course is taught. Reserves are limited to no more than 75 items per course; faculty wishing to place more than 75 items on reserve must make prior arrangements with the Director of the Library.

The Library will normally try to honor requests for new purchases for the purpose of use on reserve. However, we would normally not consider the purchase of duplicate items for the circulating collection unless the class size exceeds 30 or there are other extenuating circumstances. Textbooks are not normally considered for addition to the collection. We cannot place materials acquired via ILL on reserve.

Reserves requests are processed in the order received. Additions and removals can be made to course reserve lists throughout the term. For books already in the library collection, a week’s advance notice is requested; personal copies or photocopied articles may take several days to process when material arrives at the beginning of the term.

For items that the Library handles, the Library will strive to meet our obligations under Copyright Law (Title 17 of the US Code) – particularly with regard to factors articulated in Section 107 (Fair Use), and the guidelines agreed upon by the representatives of the Ad Hoc Committee of Educational Institutions and Organizations on Copyright Law Revision, and of the Authors League of America, Inc., and the Association of American Publishers, Inc. as stated in the Copyright Office’s Circular #21 Reproductions of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians. Interpretation of these documents for the purpose of placing items on reserve in the Library is at the discretion of the Director of the Library. In the instance that the Library is asked to acquire a copy of something to be placed on reserve, we will apply the copyright standards and if warranted seek copyright permission and/or pay for the rights via the Copyright Clearance Center.

The Library does not purchase performance rights for materials added to the collections; nor can the library aid in securing performance rights. The Colleges’ Student Activities Office is able to aid faculty who wish to host a public performance of Library materials.

U.S. Code Title 17 § 107. Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use

Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include—

  1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
  2. the nature of the copyrighted work;
  3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
  4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.

(Pub. L. 94–553, title I, §101, Oct. 19, 1976, 90 Stat. 2546; Pub. L. 101–650, title VI, §607, Dec. 1, 1990, 104 Stat. 5132; Pub. L. 102–492, Oct. 24, 1992, 106 Stat. 3145.)

17 U.S.C. 107 - Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use