Course Reserves at Western Libraries

Traditional Course Reserves

Western Libraries will provide and manage access to instructor-requested course material, which may include physical books, journals, DVDs, electronic books, scanned book chapters and journal articles from the Libraries’ print collection, and links to library-licensed streaming video and journal articles.

Traditional course reserves can comprise any or all of the following:

• Print texts and journals
• DVDs and other analog media
• Library-licensed ebooks
• Library-licensed articles
• Library-licensed streaming videos
• Book chapters and articles scanned from the library’s print collection
• Students can view physical reserves availability and access electronic material via a library-managed ‘Course Reserves’ tab on the class Canvas page, as in this sample Canvas reserves list.

Instructors may also request purchase of materials not currently owned by the Libraries, or submit personal materials for course reserves. Personal items will have barcode and call number labels applied. Instructors may pick up personal reserve items at the library circulation desk at the end of each quarter. (Staff will attempt to assure the security of any personal items on reserve, but we cannot guarantee against or assume responsibility for the theft, loss, or damage of personal items.)

Students can access course reserves lists and view physical reserves availability via a library-managed ‘Course Reserves’ tab on the class Canvas page, as in this sample Canvas reserves list. Loan periods are of relatively short duration to maximize student access; books and journals can be checked out for either 1 day, 3 days, or 7 days. The loan period for DVDs and other media is 1 day, and checked out items may be taken out of the library.

Library-managed course reserves links are periodically checked for errors and updated if necessary. Resources shared via the Course Reserves tab ‘expire’ at the end of the quarter used, and instructors must request renewal to continue use. Some items may be subject to licensing or copyright restrictions and are ineligible for reuse.

Course Reserves Request Form

Self-Service Course Reserves

Instructional Scanning  & Self-Service Reserves

Western Libraries will scan book chapters and articles from our print collections for instructors to share as part of self-service course reserves, subject to copyright restrictions (see below). Library-provided material is intended for use on Canvas (or other password-protected system) by enrolled students for the duration of the course.

• Up to two chapters from a book (amounting to no more than 20% of the entire book).  
• Up to two articles from an issue of a periodical or newspaper (amounting to no more than 20% of a single issue).  
• Chapter scans consist of title page, copyright page, requested chapter, and endnotes if available. 
• PDFs of scanned material will be delivered via email.
• Requests are filled in the order received; incomplete citations may cause delays; purchasing material for scanning may cause delays.

Persistent URLs

Western Libraries will provide tested permanent links to library-owned and licensed electronic resources for instructors to share as part of self-service course reserves, subject to copyright or licensing restrictions. Library-provided URLs will have proxy information included that will allow users to access library material from any location when logged in via their WWU universal ID.

• Ebooks (Including links to individual chapters if requested)  
• Library-Owned Articles* (Excluding Harvard Business Review)**  
• Streaming video
  • Videos not currently in the library catalog may be requested using the Western Libraries Streaming Digital Media Request form. (Not all titles are available for streaming access.)

Course Reserves Request Form