Course Reserves for Faculty

Albert S. Cook Library is happy to collaborate with faculty to make course material available to their students, either in the library or online, through physical and electronic Course Reserves. Please allow up to two weeks for processing.

Placing Reserve Requests

Place a reserves request by signing into Course Reserves using your TU netID and password. You can find Course Reserves in the “Sign In” menu, under “Using the Libraries,” or on the For Faculty page.

To place reserve requests for a class:

1. After signing in to Course Reserves, you will see your courses. Choose “Course Home” for your selected course.
   
2. Select “Add Reserve Item.”
3. Choose the item format you would like to place on reserve and then fill out the request form for each item.
   

As the instructor, you will be able to view it after our reserves staff processes your request. Students can view reserve items throughout the duration of the course.

Adding Tags to Items

Adding tags to your items allows you to organize them, for example, by class or week number.

To add or edit tags, select “edit” next to the item after you have added your reserves request.

Importing Items from Other Courses

Copying reserve items between courses, previous or current, is easy with the import button.

1. Select on “Course Home” for the course to which you would like to add reserve items.
2. Select “Add Reserve Item.”
3. Find the previous or current course (where the item(s) are already added) under the section labeled “Or would you like to import from a current or previously taught course?” and select “Import Items."
   
4. Check the item(s) you want to import, and select “Import Items."
   

Making Reserve Items Available in Blackboard

Your reserves courses are automatically tied to your Blackboard courses. If you are not using Blackboard Ultra, you will need to make the link visible. 

1. In edit mode, select the “plus” symbol above the course navigation
2. Select “Tool Link.”
   
3. For “Name,” you will need to name the reserve items section. Examples include "Course Readings" or "Library Reserves."
4. For “Type,” select “Library Course Reserves,” check “Available to Users,” and “Submit.”
   

In Blackboard Ultra, Library Course Reserves are linked already, and no action is required on your part. To view the link, select "Books & Tools" from the "Details & Actions" menu.

"Library Course Reserves" is available under the "Books & Tools" menu.

What can I put on reserve?

E-Reserves

We recommend placing items on E-Reserve (rather than Physical Reserve) whenever possible, since this allows multiple students to access the material at the same time. The following items may be requested for E-Reserve:

• Journal articles, book chapters, and other book excerpts
• Streaming video and audio content
• Links to many of the library’s e-books/database/subscription materials

Due to budget constraints and copyright restrictions, there are limits to the amount of material we can place on e-reserve. For more information, see our "Copyright and E-Reserves" section below, or contact our E-Reserves Specialist Chris Casamassima or Copyright Librarian Rick Davis.

Physical Reserves

Students can request items on Physical Reserve at the Help Desk for 2-hours (4 hours for audio/visual materials). These items cannot be taken out of the library and are primarily:

• Books or documents currently in the TU library collection
• Faculty-owned “Personal Copies” of books or audio-visual media

All items on Physical Reserve will be returned to the shelves or the owning faculty member between semesters. If you will be using them again in the following term, you can request them using the “Import Items” instructions above.

Videos owned by TU need not be placed on Reserve, as students may only use them in the library. Other Faculty can check videos out to show in classes, however, so please inform our Reserves Specialist Lisa Vines in advance if students will be coming to view one at a particular time.

Copyright and E-Reserves

We offer online reserves (e-reserves) as part of our mission to support and enhance the learning, teaching, and scholarship of the Towson University community. The library is committed to providing our users with the information resources they need, while respecting the rights of copyright owners under U.S. law.

The following information, developed in consultation with the Office of the General Counsel, reflects our good faith understanding of the application of copyright and its statutory limitations, including fair use, to library e-reserves. 

What items can be added to E-Reserves?

Instructors can request course-related items to be added to course reserves in any of these situations:

• The item is available in an online database or journal licensed by Cook Library whose terms of use do not prohibit posting it in e-reserves.
• The library can obtain permission to post the item in e-reserves at a reasonable cost.
• The item has been made distributed by the copyright owner under terms which explicitly permit the proposed use, such as a Creative Commons license.
• The instructor or TU owns the copyright.
• The instructor has written permission from the copyright owner to copy and distribute the work electronically. (We may need a copy of the permission before posting in e-reserves.)
• The materials are in the public domain. This includes items whose copyright term has expired, as well as most works produced by the U.S. Government.
• Use of the item qualifies as a fair use.

How Much of a Copyrighted Work Can Be Posted in E-Reserves?

The answer to this question depends on the type of material and the library’s available options for providing access to it.