The University of Massachusetts Amherst
Libraries Ask Us

Course Reserves

The  Course Reserves team is here to work with you to place course materials on eReserve for your students. This makes the material freely available and accessible for students 24/7 from anywhere.   

Through the eReserves system, instructors can request digital materials for Blackboard and Moodle classes, such as:

  • Scans of book chapters and journal articles;

  • Links to databases and ebooks;

  • Streaming film and music.  

Get Started!

Step 1. Contact UMass I.D.E.A.S. group to set up a Blackboard or Moodle course. You need this course to request reserves. Already have a block added? Check our F.A.Q. for instructions on how to request materials or clone items from a previous course. 

Step 2. Add the UMass Libraries Course Materials tool to your Blackboard or Moodle class, and configure the course for the current semester.

Step 3.  Request materials to embed into your course by clicking on "Add Reserves Items" on the left menu (please see a brief screencast for more information), or by emailing your syllabus to reserves@library.umass.edu.  Reserves staff will be in contact with any questions.

Need assistance finding materials to put on reserve for your course? Interested in learning more about Open Education Resources? Please contact your departmental librarian. Email Reserves staff if you have questions.

Please Note:

  • All requests are processed in the order received. Please allow for up to two weeks for processing requests. 

  • Items not accessible from the UMass Libraries, including purchases or items from other libraries, may result in delayed availability.

  • We will do our best to purchase unlimited user versions of eBooks through our vendors; however, we cannot license eBooks though Amazon, Kobo, Redshelf, or VitalSource, so our options may be limited.

  • All electronic reserves items scanned by library staff are converted into text-searchable PDFs for use with screen-reading software.

  • Please see our Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines page for more resources to assist in determining your rights to use digital content.

  • We are not offering print reserves services during the fall 2020 semester and spring 2021 semesters due to COVID-19.