Faculty can place course-related material on reserve for students to access at the library by filling out the Course Reserve Form. Items placed on reserve should be considered supplementary in nature.

All material placed on reserve in the library must meet fair use guidelines. Legally owned (either a library acquisition or purchased by the instructor) materials such as books, videos, and CDs may be placed on reserve for a specific course. Small amounts of photocopied items (e.g. a single copy of a journal article) may also be put on reserve. Photocopies used for multiple semesters may require the purchase of the original published material or copyright licensing. Books on loan from other libraries, consumables (e.g. workbooks), and copies of numerous chapters and articles, which would essentially amount to a course pack in aggregation, cannot be placed on reserve.

All materials will be processed for check-out. Personal items will have a security strip placed inside and a removable barcode will be attached. All items on reserve will be kept behind the circulation desk and arranged by the instructor's last name.

Materials are generally checked out for a four hour period in the library. Exceptions can be made at the instructor's request.

Students should be instructed to ask for the materials at the circulation desk by title, author and the instructor's name.

Unless otherwise informed, items on reserve will be removed at the end of the semester.

Submit a course reserve request online or stop by the circulation desk to fill out a form and to drop off the material.

Fair Use (Section 107, Title 17, U.S. Code)

The following excerpt is from the U.S. Copyright Office fair use factsheet:

Section 107 contains a list of the various purposes for which the reproduction of a particular work may be considered fair, such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Section 107 also sets out four factors to be considered in determining whether or not a particular use is fair:

  1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of 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
  4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work
    The distinction between fair use and infringement may be unclear and not easily defined. There is no specific number of words, lines, or notes that may safely be taken without permission. Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission.

Note: All entities, for-profit or not, may be eligible to claim fair use when the intended use meets the criteria listed in Section 107.

Reserves Contact: Tricia Baker, [email protected]