Books and other physical items may be placed on in-library reserve.  Electronic readings may be placed on e-reserve delivered through Blackboard.

Course reserve materials are intended solely for non-commercial, educational use. Library staff will make every effort to have all requested reserve items available as soon as possible.

To ensure availability for the first day of classes, all lists (paper and online) should be submitted by the following dates:

• Fall semester:  August 3
• Winter sessions:  December 1
• Spring semester:  December 15
• Summer session:  4 weeks before the start of the session

Submission Procedures (online, paper)
Guidelines for In-library Reserve and Electronic Reserve
Copyright Information
Reserve Contacts by Library

Submission Procedures

Online Submission

• Log in to the Reserve Processing System, a tool which allows you to place items on reserve in the library and which also allows you link seamlessly to your Blackboard course site for electronic readings.  (The Reserve Processing System is also accessible from within Blackboard.  Instructions for accessing the Reserve Processing System while in Blackboard can be found here.)  
• Register as a system user (one time process).  Thereafter, you can log in with your NetID and password.
• To submit a reserve list, select "Create a new class" under Main Menu/Instructor Tools.  Fill in the requested information for each item you wish to place on reserve.
• If you will be using e-reserves, please select the level of processing assistance you would like the library staff to provide.  You may attach PDFs or other electronic files to the submission form.
• Submit the reserve list.  You may update the list at any time after submission and track the processing status of all items on your list.  Reserve lists created through the online system will be archived at the end of the term and may be accessed and reactivated at any time in the future.

Paper submission

• Download or print out the form
• Fill in complete citation information for every item to be placed on reserve
• Submit the list to the reserve desk of your choice; keep a copy for your records
• Please allow ample time for processing (4-6 weeks)

Guidelines for In-library Reserve

Reserve materials are held at a library's circulation or reserve desk, or in some cases, in a designated study room within the library.  (Study room reserves are unmoderated and can be used freely by the students in the class.) Most libraries offer a choice of loan periods; 2-hour loan is standard, but the loan period can be adjusted at the request of the instructor to suit the needs of the class.  There is no limit on the number of items that may be placed on reserve, but for practical considerations, it is advisable to speak with the library's reserve coordinator if you need to place a very large number of books on reserve.  Number of copies: the rule of thumb is to request one copy for every 20-25 students.  Purchase requests will be accommodated to the extent possible within financial constraints.

Items that may be placed on reserve:

• Items owned by Cornell Library: books, journals, videos, CD/DVDs, TakeNote, course packets, other materials.
• Textbooks supplied by the instructor or purchased by the library.  Upon request, the Library will generally purchase up to 3 copies, or one copy per 50 students, whichever is less.
• Legally obtained photocopies supplied by the instructor
• Personal copies of books and other materials supplied by the instructor.
  • Please do not put irreplacable, fragile or very valuable personal materials on reserve.  The library assumes no liability for loss or damage.
  • The library places adhesive-backed barcodes on all items on reserve.  If you do not want your personal items barcoded, please speak with the reserve coordinator.  The library will create a covering or case for the material, and place a barcode the covering.  Please allow extra time for processing.
  • Personal copies will be returned to you at the end of the term.

Items that may not be placed on reserve:

• Materials owned by other institutions (no Interlibrary Loan or Borrow Direct items)
• Copies of videos/CDs/DVDs that lack the permission of the copyright holder for this type of use
• Rare books, fragile items

Guidelines for Electronic Reserve

• Journal articles, book chapters, syllabi, practice exams, lecture notes, etc. may be placed on electronic reserve.  These items may be scanned and uploaded as PDF files, or linked to if they are available through the Library's licensed databases, or are open-access resources.
• Electronic items must meet copyright Fair Use guidelines or have the permission of the copyright holder for this type of use.
• Readings must be restricted to members of the class, and access must be terminated at the end of final exams.
• Upon request, the library will assist instructors in scanning documents and creating links as allowed by the Electronic Course Content - Copyright Guidelines, or will upload readings to the instructor's Blackboard website. Materials provided by the instructor must be clear and readable, preferably with no black margins, on 8.5 x 11 inch paper, single-sided, and free of staples.
• Reproduced materials should incude proper attribution and include the original work's copyright statement.  If no statement can be found, a standard statement of copyright protection may be used.
• Course packets and excepts from course packets cannot be made available electronically without permission from the copyright holder.
  • However, course packet articles that are available through the Library's licensed databases are usually already licensed for reserve use and may be placed on e-reserve.
  • A physical copy of the course packet may be placed on in-library reserve.
• For questions specifically dealing with electronic reserves for audio, the Music Library endoreses the Statement on the Digital Transmission of Electronic Reserves issued by the Music Library Association.

Electronic Reserves through Blackboard

The library will help create or manage electronic course materials through Blackboard.  We can offer three levels of service:

1. Scan materials and create links to online resources.  These electronic files and links are sent to the instructor, who will upload them to Blackboard.

2. Scan materials, create links, and link to the instructor's in-library reserve list from the Blackboard course site.  The Library is authorized to be a Course Builder for the site (see instructions below).

3. Create and manage a Blackboard site: scan materials, create links, upload files, manage enrollment, and clean up the site at the end of the term.  The Library is authorized to be a Course Instructor for the site.

Instructions for Blackboard processing:

How to create links to library resources
How to assign "Course Builder" authorization to the Library
How to create a Blackboard account

Copyright Information

• Electronic Course Content - Copyright Guidelines
• Copyright Information Center
• Fair Use checklist

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