General Information
Course Reserves are course materials kept behind the Circulation Desk that can be borrowed for a short time, usually two hours, within a library to ensure regular availability for students.
Instructors looking to place items on reserve for their course(s) should request these items at least two weeks before the beginning of the semester or earlier if possible, using the Reserves Request Form. If you are a Teaching Assistant or departmental staff member, you may submit a request on behalf of an instructor. If you would like updates on the requests process, please provide your name and contact information in addition to the instructors when filling out the appropriate form.
Students can use the Course Reserve Search Page to search for items by instructor or course. This will let them see what items are on reserve and where you have requested the items be placed. They will need their I-Card and the call number to borrow within the library.
For reserves at the Main Stacks, Funk ACES Library, or Grainger Engineering Library, please complete and submit the Reserves Request Form. If you wish to place an item on reserve outside of these locations, please contact the preferred Library directly. Contact Information for each library can be found in the Library Directory. When submitting a form, please cross-check your information with the information found in the Library Catalog. If you are placing items on reserve for multiple courses, please submit a separate Reserves Request Form for each course. If you have a syllabus or bibliography, you may physically drop-off or email the Reserves Request Form (PDF) to the relevant reserve location; location information for each library can be found in the Library Directory. Below are the emails for currently available reserve locations: Please note that for the duration of the Altgeld Hall renovation project, Math Reserves will be housed at the Grainger Engineering Library. Books and other materials from the library catalog can be requested by filling out the corresponding form found above and delivering them to the appropriate library.
To place items that you own on reserves, please bring personal copies to the appropriate reserve location with the completed Reserves Request Form (PDF). Personal copies placed on course reserve will be marked with a call number and barcode stickers. The Library assumes no responsibility for damage that could occur while personal copies are on course reserves. Personal Items will be mailed back at the end of the semester or can be requested back before then. Staff will give the lender a chance to fill out the “Taking Personal Copies Off Reserve” form at the service desk. Personal materials can be placed on reserve similarly to catalog items. When delivering the Reserves Request Form found above, please bring the item you wish to place on reserve.
Instructors do not need to place a separate request to have individual items purchased for reserves. Follow the instructions for requesting course reserves, including the materials you would like the Library to acquire. Books and other print materials will be ordered by the processing staff at the reserves location that you select. Materials can be requested for purchase to be placed on reserve by filling out the appropriate form and delivering to the library of choice.
Most DVDs in the Library catalog can be requested online, and circulate for 16 weeks to faculty and graduate users. If there is a DVD that you only need to check out to show in class, you can place a request through the Library Catalog for pick up at any Library location or delivery through Campus Mail. If there is a DVD that you’d like to be placed on course reserve to be viewed in the library throughout the semester, there are currently two library locations that have media viewing stations and can support possible media reserves: To request that DVDs be placed on course reserve for the semester, please contact that location directly. DVDs can be requested for circulation by faculty or students to be presented in class. If you’d like to place a DVD to be viewed within the library, you can finding the corresponding forms for the Music and Performing Arts Library an Communications Library above, which support media reserves.
The Library does not currently support electronic reserves. Instead, instructors can consider making these resources available by uploading files to Canvas, ensuring all students have access. If you would like to learn more about making resources electronically available for your students, see the “Creating Electronic Reserves for Your Course” section of the “Course Reserves for Instructors” libguide. The library does not support electronic reserves, but there are guides for providing digital access to resources found above.Requesting Items for Reserves
Please note that it can take weeks or months for materials to arrive and be processed. Please submit course reserves requests as early as possible through the Reserves Request Form.