How to Place Items on Course Reserve
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Guidelines for Submitting Reserve Material

NOTICE: Warning concerning copyright restrictions
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.

All materials submitted for course reserves must adhere to the University's copyright policy. For the policy please go to http://www.ua.edu/copyright.html.

  • Reserve lists must be submitted ten business days prior to date needed.
  • Reserve Lists are processed on a first-come first served basis.
  • Early submission is particularly important at the beginning of the semester when Reserve staff are called upon to process hundreds of course reserve lists and thousands of reserve items.
  • Processing time depends on the number, length, quality of material(s), as well as the time of semester.
  • There are no standing reserves.  Please submit a new form at the beginning of each semester.  Forms may be obtained at all libraries and on the Libraries' web site.
  • All reserve materials are placed on reserve alphabetically by title under the instructor's name and class.
  • Your completed forms and materials can be submitted to the appropriate library via e-mail as a pdf attachment, through intra-campus mail, or brought to the appropriate library's Circualtion Desk.
Print Course Reserves
 
Materials that can be placed on print Course Reserves include most materials owned by the University of Alabama Libraries, personal copies of books, textbooks, commercially produced course packs, and materials written by the instructor and for which the instructor owns copyright.  No Interlibrary loans or ready reference materials may be placed on reserve. The libraries cannot be held liable for the loss or damage of personal copies. If you would like for us to pull books owned by the libraries, please submit the print reserve form.
 
Electronic Course Reserves
 
Advantages of electronic reserves include the ability to access readings from home or campus without waiting for borrowed material to be returned and without the frustration of missing pages that may occur with photocopies.
  • A complete bibliographic citation is required for all copyrighted materials.
  • A copy of the class syllabus and a copy of the copyright statement must accompany all electronic reserve requests.  This information is often found on the back of the title page in books.  Copyright statement for journal articles are usually located on the inside front cover of the journal.
  • No more than 25% of course content can be placed on reserve(a chapter from a book; an article from a periodical or newspaper, a short story, short essay or short poem-whether or not from a collective work; a chart, graph, a diagram, drawing, cartoon or pictures from a book, periodical or newspaper.)
  • Electronic files are accepted in the following formats:
    • Portable Document Format (pdf)    
    • Microsoft Word (.doc)
    • Text File (.txt)
    • HyperText Markup (htm)
    • JPEG (.jpg)
  • Please submit your own photocopies of articles, chapters, etc., needed for your reserve list.
  • Photocopies should be 8 1/2 x 11 on white paper only, legible, one-sided, and contain no black margins.
  • Photocopied items should be of the best quality.  Light copies and items with extremely small print do not scan well.
  • Hole punched photocopies will not be accepted.
  • Photocopies should be either landscape or portrait, not both within the same document.
  • Handwritten items should be neatly printed in black ink.  Originals always scan better than a photocopy.
  • Any items longer than 50 pages will be scanned in parts (ex. Chapter 1 part a and part b) for ease of viewing.
  • Photocopies that do not meet requirements may be returned.
  • If an article is full text on a library database, the article will be linked to your reserve list. Click here to search for Full Text Electronic Journals Available Through UA Databases.
  • All materials will be taken off at the end of the semester.  Materials needed for consecutive semesters will need written copyright permission from the copyright holder.
  • Your materials can be submitted to the appropriate library via e-mail as a pdf attachment and your completed forms as word documents, or printed and sent through intra-campus mail, or brought to the appropriate library's Circulation Desk.
 
  • Bruno Business Library: (205) 348-1080
    • Donna Minor: (205) 348-1084
    • E-mail:  Donna Minor
    • Box 870266
  • Gorgas Library: (205) 348-9748
  • McLure Education Library: (205) 348-6055
  • Music Library: (205) 348-7309
    • Amanda Scott: (205) 348-7344
    • E-mail:Amanda Scott
    • Box 870266
  • Rodgers Library for Science & Engineering: (205) 348-2100
  • Instructions to access electronic reserve material are available at all libraries and on the Libraries' web site.
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