Course Reserves

Course Reserves for Faculty

Faculty can place materials on their Course Reserve page for students enrolled in their course. Materials may be the personal property of faculty or the property of Gleeson Library. A list of Course Reserve materials can be viewed through the faculty’s Course Reserve page that is created in the library’s online catalog.

Estimated processing times are described on this page. Course Reserve requests are processed on a first come, first served basis.

Placing Materials on Course Reserve

• Follow best practices in academic fair use — The library will review all Course Reserves requests and only process those that follow best practices in academic fair use.
• Submit a Request Form — Faculty must complete and submit a Course Reserves Request Form.
  • Electronic Reserves materials — Faculty can provide electronic articles, scanned chapters, streaming media catalog links, and ebook catalog links. More information about Electronic Reserves.
  • Physical Reserves materials — Books, course readers, and other physical media (DVDs, VHS, CDs) can be made available for checkout at the Circulation/Reserves Desk; these materials can be either the property of faculty or the property of the library. Additionally, books or other print material can be submitted for scanning. Note that some restrictions apply for scanning requests (see best practices in academic fair use). More information about Physical Reserves.
• Requests for purchase — If the library does not carry a title in an electronic format, faculty may request the library purchase it. Submit purchase requests 6 to 8 weeks before the semester begins. Requests are reviewed by the Associate Dean for Technical Services. A Course Reserves Request Form is required for any purchased request that is to be placed on Course Reserve.
  • Textbooks — In general, the library does not purchase textbooks. For free and open alternatives to commercial textbooks, visit our Open Educational Resources (OER) guide and read our blog post about affordable textbook options for faculty.
• Submit a Request Form every semester — At the end of each semester, course materials are removed and the Course Reserve page is deleted.

Once your requests have been processed, you can link to your Course Reserves page in Canvas.

While the library strives to place all requested materials on Course Reserve, situations may arise where not all requests can be accommodated. The library will work with faculty whenever such instances occur. Contact gleesonreserves@usfca.edu with any questions.

Electronic Reserves

Articles, Chapters and Ebooks

• Articles and chapters in PDF format may be uploaded on the Course Reserves Request Form.
• If there is a book available in our ebook collections, the library can add a link to it on a faculty member's Course Reserve page.
• Estimated processing time: 5 – 10 business days.

Online Media

• If there is an online video available in our video collections the library can add a link to it on a faculty member’s Course Reserve page. Contact our Media Librarian to facilitate use of videos on Kanopy or other collections.
• Estimated processing time: 5 – 10 business days.

Physical Reserves

Library copy

• Book or physical media (DVDs, VHS, CDs) for checkout at the Circulation/Reserves Desk — If a book or other physical media is available in the library catalog, checkout at the desk can be indicated on the Course Reserves Request Form.
  • Estimated processing time: 5 – 10 business days, depending on number of pages.
• Book or other print material to be scanned — If a book or other print material is available in the library catalog, a scanning request (including specific page numbers or chapters) can be indicated on the Course Reserves Request Form.
  • Estimated processing time: 5 – 10 business days, depending on number of pages.
• Online access to physical media (DVDs, VHS, CDs) — Contact our Media Librarian to inquire about the availability of online access to physical media.
  • Estimated processing or ordering time: 3 – 4 weeks.

Personal copy

• Book or physical media (DVDs, VHS, CDs) for checkout at the Circulation/Reserves Desk — If faculty provide a personal copy of a book or other physical media, checkout at the desk can be indicated on the Course Reserves Request Form.
  • Estimated processing time: 5 – 10 business days, depending on number of pages.
• Book or other print material to be scanned — Faculty may provide a personal copy of a book or other print material to be scanned by the library after submitting a Course Reserves Request Form.
  • Estimated processing time: 10 – 15 business days, depending on number of pages.

Delivery/Shipping

Deliver to Gleeson Library

• Faculty may deliver materials to the Circulation/Reserves Desk to be processed and scanned for Course Reserve. Please put materials in a sealed envelope or package and include a note.
• Faculty may also ship materials through campus mail or USPS / UPS to the following address:

Gleeson Library | Geschke Center
ATTN: Course Reserves
University of San Francisco
2130 Fulton Street
San Francisco, CA 94117-1080

Returning Personal Material

• At the end of each semester, course materials are removed and the Course Reserve page is deleted. Personal material is mailed to the address provided on the Reserves Request Form. All other material is returned to the library stacks. Submitting a Course Reserves Request Form is required every semester.

Loan periods

There are five loan periods available for Physical Reserves that are available for checkout at the Circulation/Reserves Desk:

• Library Use Only (LUO) — Materials are borrowed for two-hour periods and must be used in the library. They do not circulate overnight.
• Two Hour — Materials are borrowed for two-hour periods and may be taken outside the library. They may be borrowed for overnight use one hour before the library closes and are due one hour after opening the following day.
• Three Hour — Materials are borrowed for three-hour periods and may be taken outside the library. They may be borrowed for overnight use two hours before the library closes and are due one hour after opening the following day.
• 24 Hour — Materials are borrowed for twenty-four hour periods and may be taken outside the library.
• One Week — Materials are borrowed for one week and may be taken outside the library.

Because demand for materials can fluctuate, the library may need to work with faculty to adjust assigned loan periods to accommodate the needs of students.