Guidelines for Print Reserves
Contact: Brandon Welch
104 Founders Memorial Library
Phone: (815) 753-9813
E-mail: btwelch@niu.edu
Submitting Reserve Requests
- Reserve reading lists for Summer, 2008 should be submitted to the Library Assistant, Reserve Processing and Maintenance by June 2, 2008 to be available on the first day of class.
- Reserve reading lists for Fall, 2008 should be submitted to the Library Assistant, Reserve Processing and Maintenance by August 11, 2008 to be available on the first day of class.
- Reserve requests are processed in the order they are received. Lists submitted by the deadline are given highest priority. If a list is submitted within the first three weeks of classes, one to two weeks processing time should be allowed before reserve reading assignments are made.
- Reserve reading requests are submitted on the standard form that is available from the Reserve Room for this purpose. The completed form may be mailed, faxed, or dropped off at Room 104, or the Reserve Desk in Founders Memorial Library. This form is also available online.
- Reserve material requests for the branch libraries should be sent to the appropriate branch library.
Due to increased demand for reserve services facilities, lists should be limited to a maximum of 25 titles per course.
General Policies
- Number of Copies Placed on Reserves
- All the copies of a title requested for Reserve that are owned by the University Libraries will be placed on Reserve.
- According to Copyright Law, the University Libraries may provide only one photocopy of a journal article or a single chapter of a book. Additional copies made by the instructor will be accepted if class size or use warrants additional copies (our guideline is one copy per 25 students up to a maximum of 4 copies)
- Restrictions
- Textbooks which students are required to buy are not placed on Reserve.
- Bound and unbound journals owned by the library are not placed on Reserve. If necessary, alternative arrangements can be made at the Periodicals Service desk.
- Books borrowed from other universities or lending institutions may not be placed on Reserve.
- Reference books are only placed on Reserve under special circumstances. Please contact the Print Reserve Unit.
- Personal Copies
- Personal copies of materials may be placed on Reserve. The University Libraries strive to safeguard all materials that are placed in the library, however, the Reserve Services Unit assumes no responsibility for loss or damage to personal copies. Personal copies will be returned at the time the listed items are taken off Reserve.
Personal copy items are subject to the University Libraries' policies. Professors are required to sign a damage waiver upon submitting personal copy books.
- Photocopies
- The most efficient way to place items on Reserve is to provide photocopies with the reading list. If instructors are unable to provide photocopies, the University Libraries will make one photocopy per item.
- When providing photocopies, it is advantageous to maintain a consistent left or top margin of at least one inch to allow for binding.
- Requests for photocopies must include accurate citations. For example, for books, include NIU call numbers (if available); author, title, date of publication, and page numbers. For journal articles submit the following: author and title of article, volume and issue number of journal, date, and the page numbers.
- Photocopies will be returned to the instructor when the items are taken off Reserve. Two to three weeks should be allowed to ensure that Reserve materials are available for reading assignments.
- Copyright Policy
- Under the National Copyright Law of January 1, 1978, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish photocopies or other reproductions, provided that the photocopies are not "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research."
- Photocopy requests for reserve materials should meet the standards of educational fair use and library copying as outlined in Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Law. For more information, please consult The Copyright Primer for Librarians and Educators by Mary Hutchings Reed, American Library Association, 1987.
- Book Orders
- Requested items not owned by NIU Libraries may be ordered. Materials that have to be ordered will require extra processing time. Please consider loaning a personal copy or photocopy before requesting a book be ordered, especially if the item is needed early in the semester.
Before making assignments, please confirm that items that have been requested are available in the Reserve Services Unit.