Course Reserves

All course reserve requests start by filling out and submitting the Faculty Course Reserve Request Form.  

• This form is used to put physical books, eBooks, DVDs and other media including streaming media on reserve for students.

***Pro-tip*** If the Library does not own the material, this same form can be used by faculty to request materials to be purchased for course reserves.

Physical chapter scan requests 

• Priority given to fully online, hybrid, and asynchronous courses. Chapter scans for fully in-person courses may not be approved.
• If the library does not already own the physical book, we will attempt to acquire the title in the format requested by the faculty member (physical or electronic). If a physical book is purchased, we may scan select chapters for faculty to upload to Canvas. Library staff will follow Copyright & Fair Use guidelines when responding to each request. We cannot scan a text in its entirety.
• Faculty may provide a personal copy for the library to scan. Library staff will follow Copyright & Fair Use guidelines when responding to each request. We cannot scan a text in its entirety.
• Scans are sent directly to faculty via a secure file transfer protocol email, sent from the Reserves Team.

***Pro-tip***  Send your requests in as soon as you can so the library can start the process. E-books are the fastest to acquire and process, but if we need to scan this can take quite some time. It is best to give us as much lead time as possible so we can meet your requests.

***Pro-tip*** Refer to the Library's streaming media databases to find online content that you can embed directly into your Canvas course. 

• If you can't find what you're looking for, submit a request using the Faculty Course Reserve Request Form and the Library will try to locate what you need in an accessible format. 

For more information about requesting course reserves, visit our Course Reserves Guide.

Faculty can submit a course reserve request at any time using the online Course Reserve Request Form located on the library website. Please submit your request at least two weeks in advance of the date course materials will be used in class. Requests will be processed in the order they are received. 

Materials accepted for reserve include library owned print or ebooks and other media such as streaming media, DVDs and Audio CDs.

The Library also accepts instructor owned print books and other media.

The Library accepts print books, ebooks, and other physical media such as DVDs and CDs to be placed on course reserve.

Instructors can request library owned materials or provide their own personal copies for reserve. Personal copies are discoverable in OneSearch, and any currently enrolled student with a library account in good standing will be allowed to borrow an instructor's personal copy on reserve. When searching within the Course Reserves scope, only items on reserve will be displayed.

If the Library owns the exact copy of a personal copy being placed on reserve, we will pull the library copy from the shelf and add it to your course reading list.

We do not accept items that can be accessed via Canvas including scanned materials such as book chapters, journal articles, course readers, and links to journal articles. 

Yes! Instructors will receive an email when materials have been processed and are available for students to borrow. 

Please submit new course reserve requests at least two weeks in advance of the date course materials will be used in class. Requests will be processed in the order they are received. Depending on demand, processing can take up to two weeks to complete. 

To inquire about the status of your course reserve request, contact us at lib-reserve@csus.edu.

Instructors can view their active course reading lists any time by using the Course Reserve Browse Tool. You can quickly filter by instructor name or course to see all course materials available on specific course reading lists. 

If the Library does not own a title you are requesting for reserve, you may submit a personal copy or request a purchase through the online course reserve request form. The Library follows specific guidelines when considering purchases for course reserve:

• The Library does not purchase most textbooks. We define textbooks as books specifically intended for classroom use, often published in multiple editions that may include discussion topics, problems and study questions, or other pedagogical apparatus.
• The Library will consider purchasing textbooks under $200 if they provide the only or best coverage of a subject, or if they represent a significant or historical study of the subject. 
• A single copy of the most current edition or format may be considered for purchase.
• We encourage you to consider incorporating affordable educational content offered through the CSU's Affordable Learning Solutions website.

Instructors will be notified of the status of their course reserve purchase request via email. 

When submitting your course reserve request, select Library will provide as the owner if you are unable to determine if the Library owns an item. We will either pull the item from the Library's collection or consider it for purchase. Please allow additional time for ordering and processing for all course reserve purchase requests. 

Instructors placing materials on reserve have the option of assigning one of four loan periods:

• 2 hours
• 24 hours
• 3 days
• 1 week

Materials will remain on reserve for the current semester unless the instructor requests a specific date for removal. The Library does not have a permanent reserve collection, and materials cannot remain on reserve indefinitely.

All reserve items not specifically requested for another semester are removed from course reserve at the end of each semester. Personal copies are returned to instructors via campus mail or may be picked up from the 1st floor Library Service Desk any time before they are mailed out. 

If you would like to extend materials into the following semester, please contact the Reserve Team before the end of the current semester.

Email: lib-reserve@csus.edu

Phone: (916) 278-6708

Instructors' personal copies will be processed by library staff to facilitate circulation and monitoring by our Integrated Library System. 

• Brief cataloging will be done to ensure the item is discoverable in OneSearch by students, faculty, and staff.
• Instructor copies are not considered library property and will be completely withdrawn from the Library's system when the item is no longer on reserve.
• Minimal external labeling will be applied to ensure Library staff can identify instructor copies as such.

Instructors can view their active course reading lists any time by using the Course Reserve Browse Tool. You can quickly filter by instructor name or course to see all course materials available on specific course reading lists.