Placing Items on Reserve

Faculty and instructors may reserve print and video materials for the exclusive use of their students.

To make online full text articles available for your students, learn how to link to Library content or Ask a Librarian.

What materials are accepted for Course Reserves?

• Articles: Photocopies of articles are provided by the instructor. We recommend that a minimum of 1 copy of an item per 20 students be placed on reserve.
• Personal Copies: Instructors are welcome to place their own personal copies of books, videos, tapes, etc. on reserve. A call number label, barcode label, and due date sticker will be affixed to the materials. Circulation is not responsible for possible damage or loss of personal materials submitted for reserve. The materials will be returned to the instructor at the end of the semester.
• Library owned material: You may put library books, videos, DVDs, CDs, etc. on reserve for your class.

How do I put items on reserve for a class?

• Fill out a Reserve Request form for each course. The form can also be picked up at the Circulation Desk.
• Bring the completed form and materials to the Circulation desk. Please provide the complete title and call number for library-owned materials. Please indicate priority items and when they are needed.

How long will it take before the material is available to the students?

• Material submitted during the semester break will be available the first day of class. Once the semester starts, allow 3-5 business days for processing print and video reserve materials.
• A copy of the reserve form will be returned to you indicating the assigned reserve numbers. Compliance with copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) is the responsibility of the instructor.

Please contact the Circulation Desk at 320-308-3083 or circulation@stcloudstate.edu if you would like more information. 

Copyright and Fair Use for Course Reserves

The University Library’s policy for reserves is derived from the following fair use guidelines of the United States Copyright Act of 1976.

Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, Limitations of Exclusive Rights: Fair Use

Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include— 

(1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;

(2) the nature of the copyrighted work;

(3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and

(4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.

Non-copyrighted material, such as course notes and exams, may be placed on reserve.

It is the professor’s responsibility to obtain any required permission from a copyright holder for each item submitted. Permission is also required if items are to be reused in a subsequent academic term.