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Services and Assistance > Utilizing Electronic and Paper Course Reserves

Items placed on reserve for a course are called course reserve items. Instructors can make items available online as an Electronic Course Reserve or in Hardcopy format at one of the University Libraries (UL) branch library locations. You may request an account and contact these individuals for help creating a class page.


eReserves

Hardcopy Course Reserve
     Hardcopy Course Reserve Request Form

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eReserves

eReserves provides online access to library materials placed on reserve by any instructor for students currently enrolled in their courses. The UNM University Libraries and the Health Sciences Library and Informatic Center (HSLIC) are using Docutek, a system designed specifically for electronic course reserves in academic libraries, to provide this service.

eReserves are available online to students 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Instructors can easily make reserve materials available to students in their courses without leaving their home or office. Instructors can link to online resources provided by the UNM University Libraries or HSLIC, or add their own materials by scanning them and uploading them from their hard drives. Instructors can comply with copyright law by limiting access to reserve materials to students in their courses. eReserves is fully compatible with WebCT and other course management systems.

Request an Account
The first step in using Electronic Reserves is to request an account. Use the contacts at the top of the page. If you send an e-mail, please include your name, department, and email address. Your account will be activated within 2 business days, and a user name and password will be emailed to you.

Training
Each faculty home page contains text and training videos which address the basic techniques involved in setting up and maintaining e-reserves sites. Chapter 7 is titled "The Instructor View". It contains the majority of the information that any instructor would need to maintain their own page. If you have further questions or wish to arrange for a training presentation for instructors in your department, please use the contacts at the top of the page.

Highlighted Features
While most of the features are self-explanatory, a few warrant additional explanation:

  • Add a Document - Web Link: Links to articles found in the databases to which the University Libraries subscribe present a challenge to the students. While the links you find should work on campus, they will not work from off campus because they do not go through the required authentication process. It is simpliest if you download the article to your desktop and then add it to the ereserve space as you would with any other document.

  • Visibility Dates: If you would like to restrict the dates during which this eReserves Page or particular materials on it is available for display, enter a start date and/or an end date in the fields provided. The Course Reserves Page or materials will not be accessible before the start date or after the end date, when specified.

  • Passwords: The Library requires a password for all eReserves Pages. We suggest a simple password convention using a 4-5 letter word plus the class number, however you may choose to use whatever password you prefer. Please note that passwords cannot contain spaces. You will be reminded to enter one when you click "Save".

  • Passwords for documents and folders: eReserves allows for the setting of passwords for individual documents and folders. We strongly recommend against using this feature as the required course password (above) provides sufficient security for your materials. We have found that the additional password at the document/folder level is confusing to the students and adds an unnecessary barrier to their accessing the materials.

Passwords and Copyright

Faculty using electronic reserves are responsible for complying with copyright law. To help comply with copyright, you must assign a password to your course site and only make that password available to students enrolled in your course.

Copyright Basics from the U. S. Copyright Office
Copyright and Fair Use (Stanford University Libraries)
Links to information and resources on copyright and fair use issues. Complied by the Stanford University Libraries


Hardcopy Course Reserves at the University Libraries

The time needed to process materials for course reserves varies depending on the time of the semester and the branch at which the materials will be housed. In general, these materials processed are within 24 hours of receipt. Due to the large number of requests turned in during the week prior to the beginning of the semester and the first three weeks of the semester the processing time may be longer and will be done on a first-come, first-served basis.

To help us with the processing please make sure to include the following:

  • a Reserve Request Card for each book* or folder to be added.
  • a signed Copyright Release Form for multiple copy photocopies. (We may ask if these could be placed on eReserves for your class in stead.)

*Please note that requested items that are checked-out will be recalled which will cause a delay in availability. In some cases a book may be missing, and a replacement copy must be ordered. These items will be made available as quickly as possible. We will notify you when they are available for your students.

Placing Items from the General Collection on Course Reserve

To place an item which is owned by the UNM University Libraries on course reserve you must complete a "Reserve Request Card" for each title (or for each separate volume when requesting a multi-volume set). These cards can be obtained and should be returned to the Reserve Desk at Zimmerman Library or the Circulation Desk of the branch library location where you wish your course reserve items to be held. The card must include the following mandatory information in order to be processed correctly:

  • author or composer
  • title
  • location and call number of the item (including the volume number and date when these elements are part of the call number
  • course name (including department & number)
  • semester (for which the item is being requested)
  • desired loan period (2 hours, 1 day or 3 days)
  • instructor' s name

The "author or composer", "title", "location and call number", "course number" and "professor's name" will all be used to provide points of access in the LIBROS Online Catalog. The "semester" information will be used to determine when you wish to have the item placed on reserve, and the "loan period" (2 hours, 1 day or 3 days) will determine the duration for which the item can be checked-out.

Requests for materials to be placed on course reserve can be made using the online form.