Course Reserves - Faculty FAQs

Course reserves are items that are needed to support instruction and coursework for specific classes at Western that Western Libraries makes available to all current WWU faculty, students and staff. All course reserve materials at this time are electronic and available online.

Course instructors, faculty members, or their representatives may submit reserve requests. Students may not place materials on course reserves unless acting on behalf of their instructor.

• Use the Course Reserves Request Form
• Contact (360) 650-7593
• Email: Course Reserves

• While you may reserve material at any time, the sooner we receive your request list the better. In general, lists are processed in the order received.
• Requests for newly-scanned materials may take up to 7 days to complete due to current staffing and safety requirements. Obtaining permissions or licenses for copyrighted content may also add to processing time.
• Requests for scanned selections from new items may result in additional processing time. Items not currently owned by the library that need to be purchased can take two or more weeks to arrive and be processed.

• When an instructor submits a Course Reserves Request, a reserves list is created and added to the Canvas page. This can happen even if the instructor is not using Canvas for the course.The list includes direct links to all electronic reserve items.
• If the instructor is teaching multiple sections of the same course, each section will have a separate page in Canvas (unless cross-listed by the instructor), each of which will have a ‘Course Reserves’ navigation tab added.
• The ‘Course Reserves’ tab on the Canvas page navigation menu must be enabled for students to access the reserves list; this is the ONLY way students can access electronic items. Course reserves staff have limited admin access to Canvas course pages, and if requested, can "publish" the course on your behalf.

• Students will access electronic reserves through the Canvas course listing for their specific course. Within their course in Canvas, there is a ‘Course Reserves’ tab which will include the links to all electronic reserves for this course.
• Please note: The ‘Course Reserves’ tab on the Canvas page navigation menu must be enabled for students to access the reserves list; this is the ONLY way students can access electronic items. Course reserves staff have limited admin access to Canvas course pages, and if requested, can "publish" the course on your behalf.

• In most cases, yes! Course reserves lists are stored in the reserves database, and can be reused or kept in use over multiple quarters if specified on the initial reserves request form.
• Most electronic items are archived when not in use, and can be relinked within copyright compliance guidelines.
• Reserve lists copied with previous quarters’ Canvas content are expired. Contact Course Reserves staff to request re-linking.

• Library staff will review each item to ensure copyright compliance before posting reserve lists. If an item falls outside of fair use guidelines the rightsholder will be contacted for permission/licensing information.
• Licensed material has very specific requirements for course reserves use, and may not be shared or posted outside of the library-generated reserves list on the course Canvas page.
• For more information about copyright and fair use contact scholarly communications librarian Jenny Oleen.

Please contact us via email at course.reserves@wwu.edu, or call us at (360) 650-7593 so that together we can determine how to best address your request. You may also reach out to your Subject Librarian Team for additional assistance in identifying resources for your class. Please do not place your own copies of books or other personal materials in the library return book drop.

Contact your Subject Librarian Team for assistance with identifying and accessing resources for remote teaching and learning.

The library can only purchase ebook copies of materials made available by publishers. Unfortunately, most traditional textbook publishers do not sell electronic versions of their textbooks to libraries for institutional licenses and access. However, the library is very interested in working with faculty to explore alternative course materials to help facilitate student access to materials, and we are happy to collaborate with you and help you. Please contact your Subject Librarian Team for assistance with identifying and accessing resources for remote teaching and learning.

To request streaming media, please use the Streaming Digital Media Request Form or contact your Subject Librarian Team for assistance with identifying and accessing resources for remote teaching and learning.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and for the safety of our students, faculty, and staff, Western Libraries is unable to provide physical course reserves at this time and until further notice. Currently, it is not possible to know precisely when this will change.

In lieu of placing physical items on course reserves and in order to provide safe access to course materials, we encourage faculty and staff to plan to use digital materials to support their classes, (such as digital access to articles, ebooks, streaming films, or open educational resources), and to utilize electronic reserves. All electronic reserves are integrated with Canvas course listings and allow students to access materials from any online location 24 hours a day.

Western Libraries provides course reserves services to all current faculty, students, and staff. Reserves are electronic and physical materials needed for coursework, and may include library- and instructor-owned texts, articles, videos, audio recordings, and other relevant resources that support of classroom instruction.

Faculty members or their representatives may submit reserve requests. Students may NOT place material on reserve unless acting on behalf of their instructor.

• Use the Course Reserves Request Form
• Contact (360) 650-7593
• Email: Library Course Reserves
• In person at the Circulation Services desk

• While you may reserve material at any time, the sooner we receive your request list the better. In general, lists are processed in the order received. Typically, if your list is submitted at least two weeks before the first day of classes all items will be on reserve by the start of classes.
• Most requests are generally processed within 1-2 business days, but may take up to 5 business days at the beginning of each quarter.
• Items that need to be purchased can take two or more weeks to arrive and be cataloged.
• Please submit your requests for physical material before making reading lists/syllabi available to the class – students often check items out before library staff can put them on reserve.
• Obtaining permissions or licenses for copyrighted content can add to processing time.

• Whole works such as books, journals, reference material, microforms, DVDs and CDs may be put on physical reserve.
• Personal items will have a barcode and call number sticker added, as well as a security 'tattletape'.
• Loan periods of 2 hours, 1 day, 3 days, and 7 days may be specified for print items; media are loaned for 4 hours and are restricted to use in the library (Exception – media reserves booked for in-class viewing can be checked out by the instructor for the normal loan period; media on reserve for another course is restricted to the 4 hour loan period for in-class viewing.)
• Titles not owned by the library may be requested for purchase via ILLiad. Please allow up to three weeks for processing.
• All items will be removed from reserves shelves at the end of each quarter unless specified. Personal items will be returned via document delivery on the final day of the quarter.
• Items borrowed via Summit or ILL or from any other library cannot be put on physical reserve.

• Students can ONLY access electronic reserves via the ‘Course Reserves’ navigation tab on the Canvas course page. Moving or deleting this tab renders your reserves list invisible to them.
• One chapter (no more than about 15% of total pages) of a book can be scanned by library staff and posted to reserves. If the library owns the title, the selection can be reused indefinitely. Selections from personal copies can only be used once.
• If requested, the library can purchase copies of material to be scanned for electronic reserves use.
• Articles from library databases can be used without restriction (except for Harvard Business Review - articles must be scanned from the library's print copies).
• Articles requested via ILLiad can be used once.
• Library-owned electronic books can be accessed directly from the reserves list in Canvas - the entire book, or individual chapters.
• Library-owned streaming videos can be accessed directly from the reserves list in Canvas - Click here more information.
• Printed coursepacks cannot be scanned for electronic use.
• The library can assist with obtaining copyright permission for electronic reserve requests that fall outside Fair Use parameters. Contact Course Reserves for more information.

• When an instructor submits a Course Reserves Request, a reserves list is created and added to the Canvas page. The list can contain direct links to electronic items, and/or links to library catalog pages showing current location and availability of physical items. This can happen even if the instructor is not otherwise using Canvas for the course.
• If the instructor is teaching multiple sections of the same course, each section has a separate page in Canvas (unless cross-listed by the instructor), each of which will have a Course Reserves navigation tab added.
• Course Reserves staff have limited admin access to Canvas course pages, and if requested, can "publish" the course on your behalf.
• The ‘Course Reserves’ tab on the Canvas page navigation menu must be enabled for student to access the reserves list; this is the ONLY way students can access electronic items.

Also see the Canvas Demo Page

• Most electronic items are archived when not in use, and can be relinked within copyright compliance guidelines.
• Reserves lists are stored in the reserves database, and can be reused or kept in use over multiple quarters if specified on the initial reserves request form.
• Reserve lists copied with previous quarters’ Canvas content are expired. Contact Course Reserves staff to request re-linking.

Unless otherwise specified, all reserve items are removed and sent back to the department via document delivery on the last day of each quarter. The library is not responsible for damage or loss of personal item(s).

Loan periods of 2 hours, 1 day, 3 days, and 7 days may be specified for print items; media are loaned for 4 hours and are restricted to use in the library (Exception – media reserves booked for in-class viewing can be checked out by the instructor for the normal loan period; media on reserve for another course is restricted to the 4 hour loan period for in-class viewing.)

You may place as many items on reserve as is required by your course. Please note that the sheer number of items is no guarantee of student usage. If requested, title/checkout usage statistics can be retrieved to help determine future reserves needs.

• Library staff will review each item to ensure copyright compliance before posting reserve lists. If an item falls outside of fair use guidelines the rightsholder will be contacted for permission/licensing information, if possible, and the library will be cover reasonable fees incurred.
• Licensed material has very specific requirements for course reserves use, and may not be shared or posted outside of the library-generated reserves list on the course Canvas page.
• For more information about copyright and fair use contact scholarly communications librarian Jenny Oleen.

• While library circulation staff can assist with call number lookup if necessary, course reserves are intended to be self-service, and students are expected to use Canvas to access reserves material and information independently.
• For assistance with special class projects, please contact the circulation desk in advance to ensure dedicated staff time and attention.