Textbooks and other high-demand course materials are placed in the Library's Reserve Collection to promote student success. These items have a short loan period to provide access to more students.
Instructors are encouraged to obtain and donate copies of currently assigned textbooks. Please include the Reserves Donation Form (PDF) when donating items to the Reserve Collection.
Reserve Collection Guidelines
Only editions currently required for courses are put on reserve. The most recent past edition may be put on reserve with instructor approval. Library staff will consult the Hawk's Nest Bookstore's "Required Material List" to identify library-owned items to include in the Reserve Collection.
Titles used for a single semester each year (fall or spring) are identified as such. During the "off" semester, these items will remain in the reserve collection, but semester notes will be removed from the Library's online catalog record.
Supplementary material (reference-type books, films, maps, lecture notes, etc.) can remain on reserve indefinitely as long as circulation statistics show evidence of student-use. "Under performing" items may be returned to the circulating collection where they are more accessible to all library users. Instructor-owned material on loan to the library will be returned to the instructor.
The Library may use its collection budget to support student success by purchasing high-demand textbooks based on the following criteria:
- Anticipated Demand: The textbook is used in several sections
- Core and Basic Skills Level Courses: The textbook is used in a general education or basic skills course
- Edition and Shelf Life: The textbook is the newest edition and has the potential for multi-year use
- Cost: The textbook is $75 or more, potentially creating a financial burden on students
The following items cannot be placed on reserve:
- Personal video recordings from a television broadcast
- Rented videos, DVDs, or borrowed books
- Some consumable textbooks (typically workbooks used as homework assignments)
- Other items which are not exempt from copyright law
- Non-exempt copyrighted material for which written permission has not been obtained
Instructors must obtain and submit written permission from copyright holders for items that are not exempt from copyright law. The Copyright Clearance Center can help.
Please submit your Reserves Donation Form (PDF) at least 1 week prior to making assignments from the reserve material. Library staff needs sufficient time to catalog and process new material.
Note: download the form to access a fillable PDF.
Faculty are urged to check OneSearch to make sure textbook information is up-to-date. To check out reserve items, students need:
- Their Student Access Card
- Their Course and Instructor (example: POLS 301 Huffman)