Course Reserves are materials (Such as books, articles, videos, etc.) which have been given a limited loan period at the request of a faculty member. These materials can be either selections from JKM Library’s collection or a faculty member’s property. Items placed on reserve usually are required reading for a particular course.
Accessing Course Reserves
Course Reserves are fully searchable in the library's online catalog. In addition, a binder containing a list of Course Reserve items is available at the Circulation Desk. Items are arranged by professor’s last name. Either OLIVE or the Course Reserve binder may be used to obtain the call numbers for Course Reserve materials. To check out Course Reserves, visit the Circulation Desk. You will need to present a valid Chatham College ID in order to access these materials.
Loan Period
All reserve materials circulate for two-hour periods and are generally restricted to in-library use. Some items may be checked out overnight one hour before the library closes – these must be returned the following morning within one hour of when the library opens. Only two reserve items may be checked out at one time.
Faculty Reserve Requests
Faculty interested in placing items on Reserve should fill out a Course Reserve Request Form. This form should include full bibliographic citations for each item being placed on reserve. The form and all materials should be turned in to the JKM Library circulation desk. Materials should be available in approximately two business days.
For more information please consult the Library's Course Reserve Copyright Compliance Policy as there are limitations on what materials may be placed on Course Reserve. Information on obtaining copyright permissions is available here.
How to place materials on reserve:
- Ensure that your materials are in compliance with copyright law and JKM Library policies, including:
- All photocopies and other reproductions fall within fair use guidelines
- Statements of permissions are included when copies exceed the dictates of fair use
- Each item includes a full citation
- Create a list of complete citations for all of the materials you’re placing on reserve – if you don’t create your own list, you’ll need to fill out the same details on the Course Reserve Request Form when you bring your materials over to the library.
- Print out or pick up a Course Reserve Request Form and fill it out completely. Make sure you sign the copyright compliance portion.
- If you are placing any video or audio recordings on reserve, be sure to indicate whether the item may leave the library.
- Bring the materials, the Course Reserve Request Form, and the citation list to the Circulation Desk.
- Pick up your course reserves at the end of the semester. Remember, photocopies cannot be placed on course reserve for multiple semesters without permission from the copyright holder(s). Materials not picked up within 4 weeks of the end of the semester will be discarded, donated, or added to the JKM Library collection.
So what can be placed on reserve at JKM Library?
- Books – you may place on reserve books owned by JKM Library as well as personal copies of books. Required course textbooks and coursepacks will not be accepted for Course Reserve. Books checked out from other libraries and/or obtained by Interlibrary Loan may not be placed on reserve.
- Photocopies of journal articles, book chapters, elements from anthologies, etc. – You may place these on course reserve under the guidelines listed above regarding the quantity and type of reproductions allowed. Generally, this is one chapter or one article per book or journal.
- Video and Audio recordings – Commercially produced (not taped privately) tapes may be placed on reserve, as well as those owned by the JKM Library. Tapes which have been recorded privately may be placed on reserve once and once only. Tapes borrowed from other libraries and/or rented from commercial establishments may not be placed on reserve.
- “Consumables” - Workbooks, copies of standardized tests, coursepacks and other single-use types of items will not be accepted for course reserve.
- Copies of student papers and tutorials - may be placed on reserve provided that written permission from the student author is included with each item.
- Faculty-created course-related documents - Old class exams, homework problems and solutions, syllabi, and similar documents may be placed on reserve.
What happens to your course reserve materials?
- Most course reserve materials are processed and available to students within 2 business days of receiving them. Items are processed in the order in which they are received.
- Be aware that personal copies require several labels and/or stamps on each item – this will result in some minor cosmetic changes to your book or other item. Please note that the library cannot be held responsible for loss or damage to personal copies of materials placed on reserve. We make every effort to ensure that your materials are clearly marked as belonging to course reserves and that items are used properly and returned in timely fashion.
- Usage statistics for your materials are calculated and provided to you around midterm and toward the end of the semester to help you gauge student use of these items.
- Within a week of the end of the semester your materials are removed from course reserve and are ready for you to pick up. All materials will be held for your pickup for 6 weeks, with a notification going out for uncollected materials after 4 weeks. After the 6-week deadline, photocopies will be recycled, and other materials will be added to the library’s collections at staff discretion. Materials not added to the collection will be disposed.
Course Reserve Copyright Compliance Policy
There are limits on the type and quantity of material which may be submitted for Course Reserve. The following guidelines are offered by Jennie King Mellon Library. Please note: these are only guidelines! Copyright law is extremely complex, and it is difficult to give any absolutes. These guidelines are pending approval by College legal counsel. Though they may seem restrictive, they are nonetheless the boundaries for copying and use that the Library suggests. These guidelines exist because the JKM Library endeavors to abide by the legal requirements of copyright law, as well as to maintain the principles of academic integrity.
Guidelines
- Each item placed on reserve must include the full bibliographic citation. Materials lacking such information will not be accepted.
- Students must not be assessed any charges for use of reserve materials beyond their own photocopying costs.
- Individual instructors are responsible for copyright compliance including obtaining permissions from publishers to exceed fair use guidelines.
- JKM Library reserves the right to decline placing any item on reserve that lacks copyright permission if the nature, scope, or extent is judged by the library to exceed the reasonable limits of fair use.
Do you need permission from the copyright holder?
Placing items on course reserve can involve relatively few, or very complicated copyright issues, as well as everywhere in between. Here are some rules for when you should seek permissions, based upon the Guidelines for Classroom Copying (1976).
Materials which do not usually require permissions for reproductions:
- Works in the public domain:
- U.S. Government publications
- See the following chart to determine if items fall into the public domain based on the date they were published.
- Copyrighted works whose use can be considered “fair” – permissions are not required as long as the reproduction and use of these materials does not violate the provisions of fair use. Such works include:
- one article from one issue of a journal, periodical, or newspaper
- one chapter from a book, anthology, or conference proceeding
- one short story, essay, or poem from a collection
- one chart, graph, diagram, drawing, cartoon, or picture from a book, periodical, or newspaper
- Multiple copies of copyrighted works – permissions are not required as long as the reproduction and use of these materials does not violate the provisions of fair use, and meet the additional criteria of brevity, spontaneity, and cumulative effect as described in the Guidelines for Classroom Copying. Such items include:
- One reproduction of an item may be placed on reserve for every 20 students enrolled in a course
- Up to nine such instances of multiple copies may be allowed for a single course; the tenth and subsequent items may only be placed on reserve in single-copies
- Faculty exams, homework or problem set answers, lecture notes – If a faculty member chooses to place materials they themselves have created, these items have automatically received permission to be placed on course reserve.
- Student papers – Student papers may be placed on course reserve only if written permission from the student accompanies each item.
Materials which require permissions for reproductions:
- Items which violate the doctrine of Fair Use
- Multiple articles from a single issue of a journal, periodical, or newspaper
- Multiple chapters from a single book, anthology, or conference proceeding
- Multiple elements of a collection of short stories, essays, or poems
- Reproductions needed for more than one semester
Some Common Course Reserve Questions and Answers
Q: What if I’m using an out-of-print book, is there still a limit on the number of copies I can place on reserve?
A: No distinction is made between in-print and out-of-print materials with respect to fair use guidelines. In fact, because of recent technological developments which have made print and electronic reproductions both inexpensive and fast, the market for out-of-print (but still under copyright) materials may be stronger now than ever. Note that some out-of-print materials may now be in the public domain and no longer subject to fair use guidelines.
Q: The text I want to use for my class is out-of-print and copies are scarce and prohibitively expensive. I’d like to place copies of 4 or 5 chapters of this 12 chapter book on reserve for this semester. Is this allowed?
A: No, this exceeds both the fair use and the classroom use guidelines. If you have a copy or two of the book itself, you may place the entire book on reserve and avoid the problem with photocopies.
Q: Does it make a difference if it’s a faculty member, the copy center, or the library making the copies?
A: No, as either the copy center or library would simply be the agents of the faculty member, it is still, in effect, the faculty member making the copy. Please note that library staff will not make copies of articles to be placed on reserve – individual faculty members are responsible for providing their own copies.
Q: Why do I have to pick up my photocopies at the end of the semester?
A: The copyright law does not specifically address the length of time a print copy may be retained, though remember that permissions must be obtained from the publisher to place photocopies on reserve for more than one semester. Additionally, space constraints prohibit the library from retention of course reserves past the end-of-semester pickup time.
Q: How do I get permission to use a copy of an article for more than one semester?
A: You’ll need to seek permission from the copyright holder (for journal articles this is frequently the publisher). If you need assistance in determining the copyright holder, or examples of permission letters, please visit the relevant sections of the library website, or ask to look at the copies at the Circulation Desk.
Q: It looks like most course reserve use is probably within the fair use guidelines, so why does the library need me to sign the Course Reserve Request Form?
A: The library can’t guarantee what is or is not fair use – we can only make recommendations and suggest you err on the side of caution and seek permissions when in doubt. JKM Library needs to comply with copyright law and fair use, and our policies and procedures are designed to recognize the intent of the law Your signature on the form indicates our good faith effort to be in full compliance with the law.
Q: Wow, it sounds like I need to get permissions for just about everything I want to put on reserve – do I?
A: No – the fair use restrictions apply to reproductions or photocopies of originals. Whole books can be placed on reserve without problems, as can materials in the public domain.
Q: I wrote this article, so I can put as many copies on reserve as I want, right?
A: Well, yes and no. Frequently, when an article is published, the author signs a transfer of copyright to the publisher. If you agreed to such a transfer, the publisher, not you, is the copyright holder, and so use of the article falls under fair use guidelines. If you retained your rights, then we ask only that you carefully consider the minimum number of copies which is reasonable to ensure that the students in your class have adequate access to the material.
Q: I know I need to get permission to use some materials for my course – how do I do this?
A: You’ll need to contact the publisher (or copyright holder) requesting permission for use in class or as a course reserve item. Visit the library webpage for links to some sample letters. If you’re having difficulty determining who the copyright holder is, the library staff may be able to give you some suggestions.
Q: I recorded a documentary from TV over the summer and would like to place it on reserve for my students to watch. Is that okay?
A: Yes, but only once. After that you’ll need to seek permissions. If you purchase a copy and would like to place that on reserve, that would be fine.
Q: If I received an article through Interlibrary Loan, can I place it on reserve?
A: No, Copyright Law (specifically Section 108(d) states that a library may copy “no more than one article or other contribution to a copyrighted collection or periodical issue, or to . . . a small part of any other copyrighted work.” The copy you have received is limited by law to “private study, scholarship, or research.” In addition, CONTU Guidelines limit how much material may be photocopied for faculty, staff, and students of the college in any calendar year. I.e., only five articles may be requested from the most recent five years of any periodical not owned by the library (not five per patron, but five for the whole college for the whole year). |
