Do you want to…

1. Create a completely customized reading list for your course?
2. Reduce costs for students?
3. Help ensure our great library resources get used?

Then UST Libraries Course Reserves are for you!

As you finalize your reading lists for this semester, please know it’s never too late to let the library staff help you put items on Course Reserve.  

Materials can be placed on physical or electronic reserve, with loan periods ranging from 2 hours to 2 weeks. It all starts by filling out a request form, after which Course Reserve staff will contact you to finalize details. Once the reserve is in place, a course-specific reserves page will be created that can be linked to on your Blackboard page or easily found by course # or instructor’s name within our system.

More details can be found below, or view our Course Reserves webpage to start placing your items on reserve now!

 Print Course Reserves: 

The list of items that can be placed on reserve includes: 

• Books from the UST Libraries collection
• Personal copies of items (including films, books, textbooks, you name it – items will be returned to you at the end of the semester)
• Films from the UST Libraries collection
• Materials from the Music Resource Center

*Note: If an item you’d like to place on reserve is not available at UST Libraries, you are always welcome send a purchase request through your library liaison to acquire an item (this might be an option for later-in-the-semester readings or for next spring at this point; acquiring a book takes time!)

E-Reserves: 

Alternatively, many items may be placed on e-reserve, to be linked to within our reserves system or on your course Blackboard page.  We are always happy to work with you to make sure that the e-reserves comply with copyright law and license restrictions:

1. In many cases, you can find or create a direct connection (known variously as a durable link, persistent link, DURL, or PURL) to the reading in one of the libraries’ subscription databases, and place that link in your Blackboard course. See IRT’s help pages for more on using Blackboard.
2. If that is not an option, Course Reserve staff may create an electronic reserve item accessible from the CLICnet catalog. To use this option, you will need to send or bring us a physical or PDF copy of the reading.

Fun Facts: 

• For Spring Semester 2015 alone, we had 161 Courses use Course Reserves in the OSF Library, putting 461 unique items on reserve (including 141 E-Reserves – articles, book chapters, etc.)
• In the last 9 days, we’ve had a 124 students check-out materials on Reserves (UST Libraries-wide).

Please let us know if you have any questions or comments; we hope your semester is off to a great start!

This is the first of many “Faculty Feature” blog posts – look for more each Thursday! Please send any future topic ideas to UST Librarian Laura Hansen.