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A Faculty Guide to Library Reserves

Purpose of the Reserve Collection
Copyright Permission
General Restrictions: All Reserve Materials
Special Restrictions: In-House Reserves of Books, Reprints, and Personal Copies
Special Restrictions: Electronic Reserves
When to Submit Reserve Requests
How to Submit Reserve Requests
How Items on Reserve Will Be Returned
Links to Other Helpful Sites
Reserve Request Form


Purpose of the Reserve Collection

The reserve collection at the Monmouth University Library supports the Monmouth University curriculum. Collection policy is based on fair-use provisions established by the federal Copyright Act of 1976 (17 U.S.C. Section 107).


In most cases, instructors will be responsible for obtaining copyright permission for the materials they place on reserve. Copyright regulations are complex and confusing. The examples below offer a cursory sample of current copyright compliance practice. They are not presented as definitive guidelines. Ultimately, faculty members must make sure that their reserve requests comply with copyright law.

Examples of reprinted reserve materials for which copyright permission IS NOT generally required:

1. government publications
2. exams and notes furnished by the course instructor
3. material for which the instructor holds the copyright
4. a single journal or magazine article used for one semester
5. a single book chapter used for one semester

Examples of reprinted reserve materials for which copyright permission IS generally required:

1. a single journal or magazine article used for more than one semester
2. a single book chapter used for more than one semester
3. multiple articles from a single journal
4. multiple chapters from a single book
5. excerpts from workbooks or other “consumable” publications

If you are unsure as to whether the material you wish to place on reserve will require copyright permission, the Copyright Clearance Center can provide valuable information and assistance.


General Restrictions: All Reserve Materials

All materials placed in the reserve collection will be for non-commercial, educational use by Monmouth University students.

Use of reserve materials for any given course will be restricted to Monmouth University students enrolled in that course. The only exceptions to this rule are those items that are owned by the Monmouth University Library. Such items will be available for in-house perusal by all library patrons, although students enrolled in the course for which the materials are reserved will be given priority when borrowing.

The academic Department will obtain necessary copyright permissions and be responsible for any incurred fees.

Students will not be charged for access to materials placed on course reserve.

Unless otherwise specified, all library-owned items placed on in-house reserve will be designated “For Library Use Only.”

Photocopied materials that are placed on reserve will include a copyright notice, affixed to the first page, advising the user that further restrictions may apply.

All photocopied items submitted for reserve must be printed on letter-sized (standard 8 ½ x 11 inch) paper that is free of highlighting or other extraneous marking.

A course syllabus should be submitted with the reserve request.

Instructors who wish to place a student paper or other unpublished work on reserve must obtain written consent from the author before the work will be posted.

The library retains the right to deny any reserve request that is submitted without a proper, signed form or for which the citation is inaccurate or incomplete.

The library will deny any reserve request it deems to exceed current fair-use standards.


Special Restrictions: In-House Reserves of Books, Reprints, and Personal Copies

Reserve requests for books will be limited to the personal copies supplied by faculty members and to titles in the Monmouth University collection. If a requested book is not available, the library will attempt to purchase it in a timely manner. Instructors should note, however, that the purchasing process frequently takes ten weeks or more, and that the delivery of all titles is not guaranteed. Periodicals and books obtained through interlibrary loan (ILL) may NOT be placed on reserve.

The number of photocopied items reserved for any one course will be limited by fair-use standards. Photocopies may not be used to substitute for the purchase of periodicals, publishers’ reprints, or books. Nor may they be used in lieu of published anthologies and similar collections, whether the items are reserved collectively or separately. Generally, no more than one copy of an item will be placed on reserve for every fifteen students enrolled in the course.

The library will not be responsible for loss or damage to personal items placed on reserve by Monmouth University instructors. Course packets will be reserved as instructors’ personal copies. The loan period of personal items placed on reserve will be at the discretion of the submitting instructor (either “2 Hours (Library Use Only),” “1 Day,” “3 Days,” or “1 Week”).


Special Restrictions: Electronic Reserves (ERes)

Access to ERes materials for any given course will be limited to the semester in which the course is offered and to the students enrolled in that course.

No more than 35 items will be placed on electronic reserve for any given course in a single semester.

Instructors placing portions of books or periodicals on electronic reserve must submit photocopies of those items, along with completed request forms, before the material will be scanned and posted.

Students will be limited to printing one copy, for non-commercial and educational use only, of each item that is placed on electronic reserve for any class in which they enroll.

For each course that is using electronic reserves, the library will provide the instructor with a password to restrict access to reserve materials. This password is not transferable. It is intended solely for the use of students who are enrolled in the instructor’s class.


When to Submit Reserve Requests

To ensure that the requested items will be available on time, reserve requests should be submitted two weeks before the beginning of the semester for which the material will be needed. All requests will be processed in the order received. As a rule, items submitted after the beginning of the semester will not be available for at least one week. To confirm that their items have been reserved as requested, instructors should consult the library catalog.


How to Submit Reserve Requests

All reserve requests must be submitted on a Monmouth University Library Reserve Request Form. These are available at the library and online. Instructors may submit requests through email to libraryreserves@monmouth.edu. Please remember to attach the article (as a Word doc or PDF) to your email along with the form. Please note that all library books being placed on reserve must be brought to the Circulation Desk, along with the completed request forms. Library staff will NOT retrieve requested books from the library stacks, nor will the staff photocopy materials to be placed on reserve. Ensuring that the requested material is available for processing is the responsibility of the course instructor.

To submit a request in hard copy, you can pick up the form at the Circulation Desk.

To submit an article request by email, open this form in MS Word, fill it out and send to libraryreserves@monmouth.edu Again: DON’T forget to also attach your digitized article to your email!


How Items on Reserve Will Be Returned

At the end of each semester, all photocopied materials and personal copies of books on reserve (except those items granted “permanent” reserve status) will be returned, via campus mail, to the appropriate instructor. The library will NOT hold personal items for instructors if those items are not on active reserve.


Association of American Publishers
Copyright and Fair Use, Stanford University Libraries
Copyright Clearance Center
Monmouth University Library Book Purchase Request Form
United States Copyright Office

Send E-mail to Monmouth University Library Reserves Department