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Course Reserves and Course Materials for Faculty at UMass Lowell

Policies and forms for putting material on reserve for courses at UMass Lowell Libraries

Reserves

Sometimes called "course readings" or "course materials", Course Reserves are required or supplemental material assigned by instructors for their courses. They may be:

  • Physical materials are available at the Circulation Desk at Lydon or O'Leary Library
  • Online materials are available with UML email and password

Find out what physical reserves are currently available by using the library catalog.

Course Reserves Policies

The UMass Lowell Libraries welcome your reserves materials. In order to ensure quality, equity, and comply with United States copyright law, we have established these policies. If you would like to put materials on reserve that are not eligible under these policies, librarians will be happy to work with you to find appropriate substitutions. Title 17 of the U.S. Code may be viewed at the Office of Law Revision Counsel.

  • How long does it take to put items on reserve?
    • Items may be placed on Reserve at any time during the semester but may take up to two weeks to process. We encourage and appreciate when you can make requests even earlier.
    • If we need to purchase the item first, then placing it on reserve may take longer than two weeks.
  • Can I put personal copies on reserve?
    • Generally, yes! Personal copies of books and/or CDs may be placed on Reserve.
    • Barcode stickers and call number labels will be affixed to personal copies of materials placed on Reserve.
    • Personal copies must be retrieved within 2 weeks of the end of the semester; if not retrieved they will be sent back to the department.
  • What are the limits on the amount of reserves?
    • No more than one copy of photocopied articles per 25 students in a class may be placed on Reserve.
    • No more than 25 photocopies and/or 25 books or other media items per course -- for a limit of 50 items total -- may be placed on Reserve.
    • No more than one chapter of a particular book may be photocopied and placed on Reserve.
    • No more than 5 articles from one journal title published in the past five years may be placed on Reserve.
    • Photocopies may remain on reserve for one semester only, and all photocopies will be stamped with a copyright notice.
  • What CAN I put on reserve?
    • You can always link to anything in library collections - just search our resources and send the link to students. This includes any full-text article, ebook, or streaming media available through library databases. These have already been purchased and cleared for classroom use.
    • You can also share any link to an open, free resource on the web.
    • You can place any physical book that we have on reserve
    • And where possible, the library can try to purchase new electronic or physical items for reserve. (This depends on cost and budget, but when we can, we will try to purchase items for class.)
  • What can I NOT put on reserve?
    • Items obtained through Interlibrary Loan may not be placed on Reserve
    • We generally cannot scan an entire book, particularly if that book is available for electronic purchase or subscription
    • We generally cannot digitize an entire DVD or TV series, particularly if the film or series is available for electronic purchase or subscription
    • Any item not in compliance with copyright law will be returned to the faculty member

How to Create a Course Materials List

  • First check: do we own it? If we already own an electronic copy of the book, article, or video, you can simply share the link with your class and be done!
    • Search the library catalog and use the "share" link
    • Search Article Quick Search and use the "permalink"
    • Search Films on Demand and Kanopy for share-able links to videos
  • If the library already owns a physical copy and you want to place that on reserve, fill out the form. (If you would like help with the catalog or article search, please contact the Research & Learning team at ask@uml.libanswers.com to work one-on-one.) 

► Course Reserves Form

  • If you want to put your own personal copy on reserve, use the same forms. Note that some limited scanning of personal copies is covered by Fair Use. For example, Adobe Scan and other apps allow you to create a PDF directly from your phone, to share with your class. (Email us if you are not clear on what's covered by Fair Use.)
    • LYD and OLE forms
  • If we don't own it, submit a request. While we can't purchase every item needed for a course, we try to fill requests when we can.

► Suggest a Purchase (Book, Ebook, Journal, Streaming Media, etc.)