If a faculty member assigns materials to an entire class, it is best to place those materials on reserve for the exclusive use of the course's students. It is also important to place materials on reserve in advance of student assignments. Bring materials (both personal materials and materials from our collection) to the User Services desk or request User Services to pull material from our shelves to put on Reserve. You can call (256)824-6530 or contact library@uah.edu for more information.
Instructors are also encouraged to place required audiovisual material (i.e. DVDs) on reserve. While the library does not have a viewing area for audiovisual materials, the material can be played via the Info Arcade computers or by a checked out laptop, and we have headphones students can borrow.
Other important items of note about course reserves at the library:
- Instructors submitting reserves must fill out the online Reserves Request Form (link). Information needed includes instructor's name, department, course number, and date for removal (if none is given, it will be removed at the end of the current term).
- Requests, along with the materials to be placed on reserve, should be submitted at least 72 hours before the materials need to be available.
- Reserves Request Forms should be filled out completely, as any missing information may cause delays in processing requests.
- Include a list of all materials to be placed on Reserve including title, author, and call number.
- Personal copies of materials may be placed on reserve by bringing them to the User Services Desk.
- Reserve materials should be organized in discrete bound units. Materials which contain multiple parts which are not bound together but which the instructor wishes to be circulated as one item are permissible, but only with the instructor's understanding that such materials may tempt students not to return all parts.
- The instructor placing reserves should choose a circulation rule based on the needs of the students. The circulation rule determines the length of time reserves may be checked out. There are 6 circulation rules available: 1, 2, or 3 hours for in-library reserves, and 24 hours, 3 days, or 1 week for reserves that may leave the library.
- The instructor should advise students that all reserve materials are kept behind the User Services desk, sorted first by the instructor's name and then by course number.
Note: This is for physical reserves. Electronic resources can be linked directly from the syllabus or via Canvas. If you need help with this, contact refdesk@uah.edu.
