What are course reserves?

Course reserve materials are electronic items that, upon instructor request, may be set aside for short loan from the Library's Circulation Desk or made electronically available for digital access by students enrolled in the relevant course. The course reserve system facilitates student access to items that supplement core course materials but is not a substitute for assigning textbooks or course packs.

How do I request that material be placed on course reserve?

To request that material be placed on reserve for a current or upcoming course please use the Place Items on Reserve Form.  Any general reserve or questions concerning the form should be directed via email Jan Hartley, Director Resource Acquisition & Management.   Instructors are responsible for compliance with applicable copyright law and should review the University and Library Policies below prior to submitting a request. 

How can I make material from the Library’s print collection available to students given the preference for electronic access?

Instructors may continue to submit requests to place materials from the Library’s print collection on reserve. The Library will investigate purchase or license of electronic versions of requested materials in order to fulfill such requests. When purchasing or licensing electronic materials is not feasible, the Library may create scans for electronic reserve and deliver them to instructors for upload to Canvas.

Scanning will be limited by applicable copyright laws. Instructors are responsible for evaluating whether their reserve requests comply with copyright law. However, the Library may refuse to scan materials for placement on reserve when a request raises copyright or other legal or administrative concerns. In such cases, the Library will assist instructors in identifying electronic alternatives.

Can I place a Library owned or personal copy of a textbook on reserve?

Print copies of course textbooks owned by the Library may be placed on reserve. Faculty owned copies may also be placed on reserve. Personal copies will have barcode and call number label applied. Although textbooks are often available in electronic format, instructors should be aware that many electronic textbooks specifically published for course instruction cannot be purchased by libraries. Publishers often restrict electronic textbook sales and licenses to individual students, preventing libraries from obtaining copies that can be made available to students who do not purchase or rent them. Scanning of chapters from print textbooks for placement on electronic reserve may also be restricted by applicable copyright laws.

Liaison Librarians are available to assist instructors in exploring electronic textbook alternatives and may be able to identify options within existing Library collections or electronic materials available for Library license. When it is not possible to identify an alternative to which the Library can provide electronic access, the Library recommends that students who are experiencing financial hardship reach out to Student Financial Services to discuss options. Student Financial Services can be reached at financialservices@seattleu.edu. 

Can I link to the Library’s electronic resources from Canvas rather than place them on Course Reserve?

Yes! The Library maintains a guide on Direct Linking to Library Resources that explains how to create links to Library materials. Linking to Library resources is a best practice that avoids copyright complications and prevents redistribution of materials to users beyond your course. If the Library receives a reserve request for materials owned or licensed by the Library in electronic format, it will fulfill the request by providing links to the material rather than creating a reserve copy.

I already have electronic copies of the Library material I would like my students to read. Can I upload the files to Canvas?

Please provide direct links to any electronic Library resources you wish to make available to students rather than uploading copies of the material to Canvas. The Library maintains a guide on Direct Linking to Library Resources that explains how to create links to Library materials.

Instructors may choose to host or link to other course materials within Canvas. However, under Seattle University's copyright policy, instructors are responsible for complying with copyright law when uploading and sharing materials on Canvas. Seattle University’s Center for Digital Learning and Innovation (CDLI) provides further guidance on copyright compliance when using Canvas.

How can I show a video from the Library’s collection in my online course or make it available for students to stream?

The Library is expanding access to streaming media resources in response to increased need for video in remote teaching. Although it maintains a physical collection of video materials, the Library cannot make DVDs or VHS tapes available as electronic reserves or for classroom streaming without obtaining streaming rights. Learn more about streaming media options in the Library’s Streaming Film and Media Guide. Instructors who planned to place DVDs, VHS tapes, or other media on physical reserve or to utilize them for screenings should contact their Liaison Librarian or Jan Hartley (Director of Resource Acquisitions and Management) with a list of titles needed. The Library will investigate the availability of requested titles for institutional leasing in streaming format and work with instructors to explore alternatives if necessary.

Copyright and Course Reserves

Seattle University is committed to complying with the copyright laws of the United States. The information below is provided to aid instructors in understanding how to appropriately use course reserves. However, under Seattle University's copyright policy, instructors are responsible for evaluating whether their use of materials complies with copyright law. The Library places items on course reserve with the understanding that instructors have determined that doing so qualifies as a fair use, has been permitted by the copyright owner, or is otherwise in compliance with copyright law. The Library may refuse to place materials on reserve or remove materials from reserve on account of copyright or other legal or administrative concerns.

Physical Reserves

Items on physical reserve are housed behind the Library’s circulation desk and made available for limited loan periods upon request.

The following items are generally eligible for physical reserve at Lemieux Library:

• Items from Lemieux Library’s collection (books, periodicals, video, etc.)
• Lawfully made items from an instructor’s personal collection (books, periodicals, video, models/teaching aids, etc.)
• Syllabi, class notes, sample tests, and homework solutions authored by an instructor

The following items are generally ineligible for physical reserve at Lemieux Library:

• Items requested through Summit and/or Interlibrary Loan
• Course packets, course readers, lab manuals, and/or other collected materials produced by Seattle University Reprographics
• Papers, test answers, or other work authored by students unless accompanied by written permission waiving applicable (FERPA) privacy rights

Electronic Reserves

Items on electronic reserve are made available in digital format only to students enrolled in the relevant course. Electronic reserve material will include a citation to the source publication and a notice of copyright. If requested items are available through Library-licensed electronic resources or otherwise legally available in electronic format, the Library will provide links to them rather than create a reserve copy.

The following items are generally eligible for electronic reserve at Lemieux Library:

• Material not protected by copyright (i.e. within the public domain)
• Material accompanied by written permission from the copyright owner
• Material in which the instructor owns the copyright or has licensed applicable rights
• Limited portions of copyrighted material in accordance with Seattle University’s Guidelines Relating to Classroom Copying:
  • A chapter of a book
  • An article from a periodical or newspaper
  • A short story, short essay, or short poem
  • A chart, graph, diagram, cartoon, or picture from a book, periodical, or newspaper

Instructors requesting electronic reserve of materials beyond these guidelines should conduct, document, and submit a fair use evaluation regarding the requested items. Seattle University counsel offer guidance on making a fair use evaluation and links to additional fair use resources. Reserve requests are considered in aggregate across the course term and should not be used sequentially to provide access to multiple chapters of a book or multiple articles from a journal issue. Repeated requests to reserve the same materials for the same course across multiple terms will likely require permission of the copyright owner.

The following items are generally ineligible for electronic reserve at Lemieux Library:

• Material requested through Summit and/or Interlibrary Loan
• Material included in course packets, course readers, lab manuals, and/or other collected materials produced by Seattle University Reprographics
• Papers, test answers, or other work authored by students unless accompanied by written permission waiving applicable (FERPA) privacy rights
• Video or audio materials that require digitization