Course Reserves

W.E.B. Du Bois Library, Lower Level

(413) 545-2358
mreserve@library.umass.edu

Reserve readings, media reserve items, laptops and multimedia equipment (including camcorders) can be found at the Circulation/Reserves desk on the Lower Level of Du Bois.

The expanded Circulation/Reserves service desk is now on the Lower Level of the Du Bois Library on the west side of the Learning Commons. Check out books, course reserve materials, laptops, multimedia equipment, public locker keys and more at this convenient combined service point. The Media Collection is temporarily closed while it is being moved to the 6th floor. For more information, including information on how to access the collection, please see the press release.. For information about microforms, please see our Microforms page.

Find Course Reserves (print, media, music)

Find Electronic Reserves

Instructors place books, articles, videos, DVDs, lectures on audiocassette and CD-ROM, and sample exams on reserve each semester for use by students in their courses. Since these items are often in demand by a large number of students, loan periods are short and overdue fines are high.

Information for Students

Hours
See listings for Circulation/Reserves on the Library's schedule of hours. Staff office hours are Monday - Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Borrowing
You must have a valid UMass Amherst ID card (UCard), a Four College ID card, or a State Borrowers Card in order to use reserve materials.

Search the Library Catalog by instructor or course, or the reserve item's title to identify reserve materials. Look up computers are available adjacent to the new Circulation/Reserves Service Desk to find these items. It is recommended that you have your call number ready before you approach the service desk for the most efficient service.

Loan Policy
The loan period for items placed on Course Reserve is 3 Hours. The loan period and rules are noted on each item and in the Library Catalog listing for each course. On days when the Du Bois Library is not open overnight, Print Reserve items may be checked out overnight and are due back no later than one hour after the Library re-opens.

Equipment is provided in the Library to view or listen to audiovisual materials that are on reserve for a course.

Reserve material is available on a first come, first serve basis, and may not be reserved in advance.

If extenuating circumstances require an exception to the loan policy, ask your course instructor to make arrangements in advance with the Reserves Office in writing or by email to mreserve@library.umass.edu.

Renewals
Return reserve material by the end of the loan period in person rather than by phone or email. If no one has asked for the material, you may borrow it again.

Late Fees and Bills
Reserve fines are $10.00 per hour for 3 hour loans, up to a $150.00 maximum. The replacement charge for unreturned or lost material is $200.00 per item. If you have been issued a replacement bill but then return the material, the charge will be reduced to $150.00. Late fees for materials returned late by a third party are billed to the original borrower. Appeals for late fees or replacement charges may be made via email appealsrmm@library.umass.edu

Photocopiers
Photocopiers that accept UCard or Guest Cards are available on the Lower Level. For more information, please see Photocopying and Printing in the Libraries.

Electronic Reserves
If your course offers electronic reserves, please ask your instructor for a password and access directions. Passwords are not available through the library.

Information for Faculty

Who may put material on reserve?
Instructors of graduate or undergraduate courses at UMass Amherst.

Submitting Reserve Requests
Please see our Faculty Request Forms to submit reserve requests online, or to print out copies of forms. Paper copies of the forms are also available in the Reserves Office.

What type of material may you place on reserve?

Library-owned books
Personal copies of books
Photocopies (i.e. articles, sample term papers, manuscripts, book excerpts)
Past semester/sample exams and quizzes
Homework assignments and solutions
Lecture notes and course syllabi
Audiocassette and CD-ROM recordings of lectures
Videos and DVDs - To place UMass or 4 College videos and DVDs on reserve, submit a Film & Video Request Form or email avreserves@library.umass.edu.

Please see our Copyright Policy and FAQ for detailed information about which materials may be placed on reserve.

What are our suggested guidelines for submitting Reserve Forms to ensure that the materials are ready for the first day of class?
Fall semester: June 1^stSpring semester: December 1^stWinter and Summer sessions: 4 weeks prior to the first day of class.

Faculty may submit reserve lists at any time after the suggested due date is past and throughout the term. All lists will be processed in order of receipt and as quickly as possible. Reserves typically experiences a backlog at the beginning of each term, but once this is cleared, material is usually processed within 24 hours of submission.

How can I get books not found in the Library collection?
The Library will order copies of books to be placed on reserve. The Library does not order copies of textbooks, but faculty members are encouraged to place personal copies of textbooks on reserve.

Book orders should be noted on the request form. Please include all pertinent bibliographic data (author, title, place, publisher, date, ISBN). New book orders typically take 4 to 6 weeks to fulfill.

Electronic Reserves
Please see our Electronic Reserves web page for information on ereserves. Choose "Ereserves Processing Forms" to display a list of online, MSWord, and PDF forms to submit with copies of book chapters and journal articles.

To contact Electronic Reserves staff, please call (413) 545-6875, or email ereserves@library.umass.edu.

Streaming Media for Class Instructional Support

The University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries is now offering a streaming media service to on-campus course instructors who utilize the SPARK or Moodle Learning Management System. Capacity is limited. The purpose of the service is to support classroom instruction by providing required course content through on demand streaming of library-owned media. Videos of class lectures may be more suited to podcasting and are not within the scope of this service. For more information on how to include library-owned media in your course using streamed contant please email us at: streaming@library.umass.edu

Please consult this guide to audio and video resources available from the library and on demand, including both licensed and free resources.

Last Edited: 3 July 2012