Course Reserves
Finding Reserves For Your Class (Students)
To find items placed on reserve for your class, please access your course via Blackboard or Moodle, and look within the library course reserves folder. If an item is available electronically, you will be able to access either the full-text document or a media stream. If the item is on physical reserve, you will be linked to the online catalog where you can view the item availability. If available, an item may be checked out at the lending services desk on A Level of Trexler Library.
Reserve periods are for 2 or 4 hours, and 1, 3, or 7 days. Students may take out one AV item or 2 printed materials at one time.
Placing Items on Reserve (Faculty)
Requests to place items on reserve should be made 3-5 days in advance of class assignments to ensure access for your students. During the first two weeks of a semester there is usually a backlog of requests which will be filled on a first come, first served basis. Please submit your requests as early as possible.
Reserve items might include:
- books and book chapters
- articles
- videos
- audio
- links to online materials
Requests can be submitted in a variety of ways:
- by contacting Jonathan Macasevich, Public Services Assistant, at trexlerreserves@muhlenberg.edu / 484-664-3606
- via the online course reserves request form
- by visiting the Circulation Desk
If a physical item has already been placed on reserve for another course, we ask that you obtain permission from the faculty member who has placed the item on reserve before using it for your own class. If permissable, the library will cross-reference the physical item with both courses and instructors.
Course Reserves, Copyright, and Fair Use
Materials placed on reserve must comply with copyright laws. In general:
- The library or the instructor should own a legally obtained (not pirated) copy of the item being placed on reserve.
- Duplications of small portions of a legally obtained copy can be placed on reserve. For duplications in larger amounts, especially duplication of an entire work, library staff may need to request permission of the copyright holder.
- ILL items can be placed on physical reserves so long as they adhere to fair use. ILL items may be posted to electronic reserves only with permission of the copyright holder.
- Items from the library’s reference collection can be placed on reserve with permission of the subject specialist.
- Reserve items should be considered supplementary readings, not replacements for textbooks.
The above copyright guidelines all operate within the concept of fair use, described in detail within the following documents:
Concerns about copyright in the classroom or in publishing can be directed to the Outreach and Scholarly Communication Librarian, Kelly Cannon, at kcannon@muhlenberg.edu / 484-664-3602.
