Reserves and e-Reserves Policy

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Reserves Guidelines

  • Faculty may place items on reserve or request that the library purchase material they wish to place on reserve contingent upon availability of funding. 
  • Faculty must complete a reserves request form to accompany all material. 
  • A minimum of two (2) business days processing time is required to make new reserve items available to students. Additional processing time may be required at the beginning and end of semester and before finals. Materials that must be searched, recalled and/or ordered, require additional processing time.
  • Materials placed on reserve must comply with the U.S. copyright laws. 
  • The library will accept photocopies and scan them for electronic reserves. All reserve photocopies must be submitted by the course instructor. The library cannot photocopy articles for placement on reserve.
  • The photocopies must:
    • reproduce well and be on 8 1/2 x 11″ paper to accommodate scanning
    • include copies of the title page(s) that clearly indicate the title, author, and publication/copyright date 
  • Student papers or other unpublished works to be placed on reserve must be accompanied by written permission of the author for each semester it is used.
  • At the end of each semester, all materials are removed and returned to the requesting faculty member.
  • The library will not replace lost or damaged personal copies.
  • The library does not place the following categories of items on reserve:
    • Special Collections
    • Items obtained through Interlibrary Loan
    • Consumable materials, such as published test and test booklets, course packs, or personal subscription items (such as Netflix)

Copyright Information

  • The library endorses the Guidelines for Electronic Reserves from the University System of Georgia. 
  • Permission from the copyright holder is required if  the item is to be reused in a subsequent academic term for the same course offered by the same instructor or if the item is a standard assigned or optional reading for an individual course taught in multiple sections by many instructors.  This does not apply if the entire book is placed on reserve.
  • The library will not seek copyright clearance for reserve material exceeding fair use guidelines. Seeking copyright clearance and covering fees is up to the professor.
  • If a faculty member wishes to obtain permission for materials that do not meet Fair Use, the American Association of Publishers suggests that the following information be included in a permission request letter to the copyright owner:
    • title, author and/or editor, and edition of materials to be duplicated
    • exact material to be used, giving amount, page numbers, chapters, and, if possible, a photocopy of the material
    • number of copies to be made
    • purpose of duplicated materials
    • form of distribution (classroom, newsletter, etc.)
    • whether or not the material is to be sold
    • type of reprint (ditto, photography, offset, typeset)
  •  The request should be sent, together with a self-addressed return envelope, to the permissions department of the publisher in question.
  • The process of granting permission requires time for the publisher to check the status of the copyright and to evaluate the nature of the request. It is advisable, therefore, to allow enough lead time to obtain permission before the materials are needed.
  • The Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) also has the right to grant permission and collect fees for photocopying rights for certain publications. Dealing with the CCC, when applicable, can often prove more efficient than dealing directly with publishers.  
  • All letters of permission received from publishers, evidence of fees paid, and the evidence of permission granted by the publisher are kept on file.
  • Copies of materials which require copyright permissions and for which appropriate permissions cannot be obtained are not placed on reserve.
Download the Reserves Request Form
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