Course Reserves

  Browse course reserve collection        Submit a new course reserve

Purpose

Course Reserves are a collection of required and supplementary materials that professors have selected for specific courses. The purpose of the Course Reserves service is to make limited resources available to as many students as possible.

Scope

The Library will accept any item that meets our mandate of supporting study, research, intellectual growth, and scholarly communication into our Course Reserves collection.

The following types of material can be accepted for Course Reserves:

  • Vaughan Library items - Items that are currently in circulation will be recalled and placed on Reserve as soon as they are returned to the library.
  • Personal copies - If the library does not own a particular item, a personal copy may be put on Course Reserve. Personal copies of material should contain owner identification. The Library makes every effort to safeguard Reserve material. However, we cannot accept responsibility for lost and/or damaged personal material.
  • Old Exams, Assignment Answers, etc...
  • Photocopies that comply with the Copyright Act, existing licences with journal publishers, or a Creative Commons or other licence.
  • Items from other Novanet libraries can be placed on Reserve once we obtain that library’s permission. However, that library can ask that their material be removed from Reserves and returned to them at any time.
  • Multiple copies of an item may be placed on Reserve, when necessary. When a request is received to place a portion of a book on Reserve, and where the Library owns a copy of the book, the Library copy of the book will be placed on Reserve. When a request is received to place a journal article on Reserve, and where the Library owns the journal in print, the Library copy of the journal will be placed on Reserve.

The following types of material cannot be accepted for Course Reserves:

  • Items that contravene copyright legislation.
  • Materials received through Interlibrary Loan.
  • Copies that do not comply with the Copyright Act or with the appropriate rightsholder licence.

Requests

Faculty and staff may request that an item be placed on Course Reserve. A Reserve Form must accompany all items placed on Course Reserve.

To request a new reserve, you can complete the Reserve Form online. Alternatively, you can download a Reserve Form below and email the signed form to reserves@acadiau.ca, or print a physical copy and submit it to the Access Desk. There are physical copies also available at the Access Desk.

Library items:

  • If the Course Reserve item(s) are exclusively library item(s) held by the Vaughan Memorial Library, faculty and staff can submit a Reserves Form and library staff will retrieve these items and place them on Reserve.
  • If the Course Reserve item(s) are library item(s) available through our Novanet catalogue and is not held at the Vaughan Memorial Library, library staff will request these items and place them on Reserve when they arrive (usually within 5-7 business days).
  • If the Course Reserve item(s) are personal item(s), faculty and staff must bring these items to the Access Desk either with a printed Reserves Form or after they have submitted an online submission.

Copyright

Items on Course Reserves are subject to Canadian copyright legislation. Copies that are not substantial portions of the original document do not require any copyright clearance. More substantial copying may be allowed under the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright Act, under an existing licence with journal publishers or under a Creative Commons or other licence.

The faculty member must obtain written permission from the copyright owner for any copyright-protected items not covered by legislation, existing licences with journal publishers, a Creative Commons, or other licence.

For further information, please see the library's copyright guide.

Getting Help

Please contact Access Services staff by phone at 902-585-1007 or by e-mail at reserves@acadiau.ca for information or assistance with Course Reserves.

FAQ

How can I put a Course Reserve item on hold?

Upon request, staff at the Access Desk may place holds for students on high-demand Reserve items.

How can I renew a Course Reserve item?

To renew a Course Reserve item, you may log into your library account and renew online, call 902-585-1249, or visit the Access Desk.

Is there a limit to how many Course Reserve items I can borrow?

The usual limit on the number of Course Reserve items is one per patron. However, a second and third can be borrowed as long as only one Reserve has a longer loan period (i.e. 4 hours or longer).

What are the loan periods for Course Reserves items?

The possible loan periods for items are 2 hours, 4 hours, 1 day, 3 days and 1 week. The faculty member who originally placed the item on Course Reserve sets the loan period for each item.

Length of Loan Time Due
2 hours Due back 2 hours from time of check-out
4 hours Due back 4 hours from time of check-out
1 day Due back 24 hours from time of check-out
3 days Due back 3 days from time of check-out
1 week Due back 7 days from time of check-out

Why did I get a fine when I returned my Course Reserve item?

We charge fines on Course Reserve items so that they are returned promptly and can circulate as widely as possible. Additionally, some Course Reserve items do not belong to the Vaughan Library and so fines are an important way that we control the Course Reserve collection.

Fines on overdue Course Reserve material are charged at the following rates:

  • Items with 2-hour or 4-hour loan period: $5.00 + $5.00/each additional hour
  • Items with 1-day, 3-day or 1-week loan period: $5.00 + $5.00/each additional day