General Reserve - Frequently asked questions
What are course reserves? What is the difference between traditional and electronic reserves?
Reserves are materials that are required readings for a specific course. Materials can be placed on either traditional or electronic reserve.
Traditional reserves are shelved at either the Coe or Geology Library circulation desk (as indicated by the instructor) and may be checked out by students for a short period of time. Electronic reserves (or e-reserves) are available online and can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection. Material for electronic reserve may be submitted electronically or in paper, which will be scanned by library staff. Instructors are encouraged to place material on e-reserve whenever possible so that they will be available for student use at all times.
What alternatives are there to course reserves?
The University offers several course management systems (WebCT, eCompanion, etc.) that allow instructors to make materials available for students. Instructors are responsible for copyright and license compliance when using these programs. The Photocopy Service in the Wyoming Union offers a course pack service, in which they obtain copyright compliance and then sell the material through the Bookstore. Course packs are particularly useful if an instructor is trying to compile an anthology of readings as an alternative to a textbook.
Who can submit materials for reserve?
Any Instructor or TA teaching a University of Wyoming course may submit reserve forms and materials.
Where will my reserves be located?
Instructors may choose to place materials on reserve at either Coe or Geology Library. Keep in mind that Coe will have a larger backlog of items to process at the beginning of the semester. Media items may be placed on reserve in Audio Visual, located in Coe Library.
How do my students access the material? What if they are off-campus?
Students can access traditional reserves at the circulation desk of the library where the reserves are held by requesting the materials using the instructor’s name, the class name, or course abbreviation and number. Students must present their WyoOne card or a picture ID to check out traditional reserve material.
Students can access electronic reserves through the Libraries’ catalog. Students must enter their University username and password and agree to the copyright statement provided by the Libraries.
Will my reserves be available by the first day of classes?
Reserves must be submitted at least two weeks in advance to be available by the first day of classes.
How long will it take for my reserves to be processed?
We can not guarantee that materials will be available by the first day or even the first week of classes unless they are dropped off at least two weeks in advance.
After the initial semester rush (the first month) it may take up to seven business days to process your reserve materials.
Is there a limit on the number of items I can place on reserve?
Reserves are limited to a total of 80 items per course, per semester. This is dictated by general copyright concerns, the amount of staff time available to process reserves, the number of instructors using the Libraries’ reserve services, and the amount of shelf space required to store them. We recommend that you make your materials available in a course pack if more than 80 items are needed. Instructors seeking exception to this limit may contact the Head of Access Services.
Instructors may place supplemental reading lists on reserve if they would like students to be aware of other useful materials.
Why are citations required? What is a full citation?
Citations are required on reproductions because they are used by library staff to determine if your materials are in compliance with U.S. Copyright Law and the Libraries’ copyright policies. Citations also provide your students information about the source of the materials they are required to read.
A full citation for a book includes the author(s) and title of the book, the publisher and the date published.
A full citation for an article or book chapter includes the author(s) and title of the article or chapter, the journal title or book title that contains the article, date published and page numbers.
Why is a copy of my syllabus required?
Your syllabus will aid us in processing your materials in the order in which they are assigned. In this manner we can make each instructor’s early material available and then go back and process materials that will be needed later in the semester.
When are materials taken off reserve?
Materials are taken off of reserve one week after the last day of finals. If a class needs access to the materials for a longer period, the instructor must inform the reserve manager so that the date can be extended.
Can I check to see how many times my reserve materials were used?
Statistics on the use of electronic reserve materials is available at the following website: http://www-lib.uwyo.edu/services/stats/
Statistics on the use of traditional reserves will be provided separately by the reserve manager when your items are taken off reserve.
What happens to electronic files when they are taken off reserve?
Due to copyright, the University of Wyoming Libraries is unable to archive materials for reserve or make electronic copies of materials. We encourage instructors to maintain a copy of their materials for their own records.
Who should I contact if I have questions about my reserves?
If you have any questions, feel free to contact the reserve manager at the library where your materials are located.
Audio Visual Pam Reeves preeves@uwyo.edu (307) 766-3184 Coe Abby Beaver cowsgomo@uwyo.edu (307) 766-6455 Geology Enid Teeter esteeter@uwyo.edu (307) 766-3374