Textbooks and other course materials can be put in the Library's Reserve Collection to help students with access to course materials. These items have a short loan period to provide access to more students.
Reserves Requests and Donations
If you would like the library to put texts on reserve for your classes, please fill out the Library Reserves Request Form for each text. If the library does not have the text, we cannot guarantee we will be able to purchase it.
To ensure access for students, instructors are encouraged to donate copies of currently assigned textbooks. Please include the Reserve Donation Form when donating items to the Reserve Collection.
Please submit your Library Reserves Request Form or Reserve Donation Form at least two weeks prior to making assignments from the reserve material. The Library staff needs sufficient time to catalog and process materials.
Library Reserves FAQ
No, the library is separate from the bookstore. Here are instructions on how to tell the bookstore with Follet Discover.
Yes please! It’s much easier to get the information directly from you.
We welcome donations of currently assigned textbooks. Please fill out the Reserve Donation Form and bring it and the book to the library.
If you are using:
- An ebook your students access through the library
- A digital copy of a book accessed through Controlled Digital Lending
- An Open Educational Resource that the OER/ZTC program has bought some physical copies of
Please fill out the form!
Please enroll in the Free the Textbook canvas course to get in touch with Andi Adkins Pogue and learn more.
Learn more about Zero Textbook Costs (ZTC).
Helping Your Students Access Reserve Material
Faculty are urged to check OneSearch to make sure textbook information is up-to-date.
Please remind students that to check out reserve items, they need the course and instructor (example: POLS 301 Huffman).
Reserve Collection Guidelines
Only editions currently required for courses are put on reserve. The most recent past edition may be put on reserve with instructor approval. Library staff will consult the Hawk's Nest Bookstore's "Required Material List" to identify library-owned items to include in the Reserve Collection.
Titles used for a single semester each year (fall or spring) are identified as such. During the "off" semester, these items will remain in the reserve collection, but semester notes will be removed from the Library's online catalog record.
Supplementary material (reference-type books, films, maps, lecture notes, etc.) can remain on reserve indefinitely as long as circulation statistics show evidence of student-use. "Under performing" items may be returned to the circulating collection where they are more accessible to all library users.
The Library may use its collection budget to support student success by purchasing high-demand textbooks based on the following criteria:
- Anticipated Demand: The textbook is used in several sections
- Core and Basic Skills Level Courses: The textbook is used in a general education or basic skills course
- Edition and Shelf Life: The textbook is the newest edition and has the potential for multi-year use
- Cost: The textbook is $75 or more, potentially creating a financial burden on students
The following items cannot be placed on reserve:
- Personal video recordings from a television broadcast
- Rented videos, DVDs, or borrowed books
- Some consumable textbooks (typically workbooks used as homework assignments)
- Other items which are not exempt from copyright law
- Non-exempt copyrighted material for which written permission has not been obtained
Instructors must obtain and submit written permission from copyright holders for items that are not exempt from copyright law. The Copyright Clearance Center can help.