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Put an item into Course Reserves

Instructors at CSUSB may place items on Course Reserves for their students to use. These materials may be owned or licensed by CSUSB Libraries or personal copies of textbooks and other materials provided by instructors.

Course Reserves Requests

Please fill out and submit the form below to begin the process. This is best done 1-3 weeks before the new semester or session. Please allow at least 7-10 days for processing. Email and telephone requests are not accepted.

Faculty Course Reserves Request 

Physical Material Request Form: For library-owned or personal copies.

Physical Article/Chapter Scan Request Form: For items currently held in CSUSB Libraries collections to be scanned within Fair Use guidelines.

For personal copies: Please submit the request form, print the confirmation email, and include the printout when you bring your copy to the Circulation Desk for processing. The library is not responsible for damage to, or loss of, personal copies.

To find Pfau Library-owned copies, check OneSearch: Books & Media (CSUSB).

Note: Prior to each semester or session, we use the textbook list from the campus bookstore to identify all textbooks, both hard copy and ebooks, owned by the library. We then place them on Course Reserves. Your textbook may already be listed there, but please check to be sure.

Course Reserves Guidelines

  • Requests are processed in the order received.

  • Materials on loan from other libraries cannot be placed on Course Reserves.

  • Please place requests and confirm Course Reserves availability before distributing an assignment. If an item is already checked out, it may be weeks before it can be obtained and placed on Course Reserves.

  • Course reserves materials will be deactivated (electronic), re-shelved (books, DVDs), and returned (personal copies) at the end of each term. A new Course Reserves Request form will need to be submitted prior to each term. (In accordance with fair use practice and copyright law.)

  • Follow copyright guidelines for Fair Use. See Copyright Guidelines below.

For questions or further information, please contact libreserves@csusb.edu

Other Options

Linking to the Library’s Digital Resources

Another way to make a variety of digital resources, from individual articles to ebooks to streaming videos, easily available to your students is to add them to Canvas. Follow the directions in our guide, Linking to Library Resources.

Affordable Learning Solutions (AL$)

In addition to making use of library resources to achieve low/zero cost course materials for students, explore the increasing availability of quality peer-reviewed open access and openly-licensed textbooks.

Copyright Guidelines

CSUSB Libraries adhere to Fair Use practices as expressed in the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries.

Generally, the Pfau Library considers that the following copied items do not require copyright permissions when used for only one semester or session:

  • One chapter from any book.
  • One article from any journal.
  • One poem, short story, or essay from a collected work.
  • Short excerpt, not to exceed 10% of a work without chapters or articles.

Materials which require copyright permission are:

  • Any copyrighted material which exceeds the above guidelines.
  • Journal articles, magazine articles, or book chapters intended for use for more than one consecutive semester or session.
  • Multiple chapters from a single book or multiple articles from a single journal or magazine.
  • Student works (obtain permission from the student).

When in doubt, consider alternatives. For example, photocopies of half a book would not be permitted on Course Reserves, but the original, entire hard copy book would be. Purchase the book or ask your Department Liaison librarian to purchase a library copy for use on Course Reserves if the budget allows.

For help in deciding if your use of a copied item is covered by Fair Use, consult the University of Columbia's Fair Use Checklist. The "Guidelines for Classroom Copying," developed by Congress and publishing representatives in 1976, are frequently applied to library Course Reserves situations. Circular 21: Reproduction of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians (PDF) includes the text of the Guidelines.