General Information

• What is the Course Reserves Service?
• What are electronic reserves (eReserves)?
• How do students access course reserves materials?
• Can the eReserves system be accessed off-campus?
• Can students print items found in the eReserve system?
• Whom do I contact if I have questions about the course reserves service?

Submitting Material

• How do I place course material on reserve?
• When should I submit materials for course reserves?
• How long will it take for my materials to be added to course reserves?
• Is there a limit to the number of items I may place on reserve?
• What happens if the library does not own the material I wish to place on reserve?
• What if the book I want to place on reserve is checked out?
• May I place books from other libraries on reserve?
• May I place personal material on reserve?
• May journals be placed on reserve?
• May book chapters be placed on the eReserves system?

Electronic Reserves

• Whom do I contact to establish an account for eReserves?
• Are faculty and teaching assistants able to manage their own course reserves pages?
• What kind of documents can I put on reserve?
• Is it possible to save course reserves pages to use them in a future semester?
• Are print (hard copy) reserves being eliminated?
• Who is responsible for making sure my eReserves comply with copyright law?
• What is the TEACH Act and how does it affect course reserves?

Copyright Issues

• Who is responsible for obtaining copyright clearance?
• If there are copyright fees, who is responsible for paying them?
• What if copyright clearance is not obtained?
• What about 'fair use'? How do we determine if an item complies with fair use?

End of Semester Issues

• What happens to my reserves material at the end of the semester?
• Will my course reserves page be saved for the next semester?

General Information

• What is the Course Reserves Service?   
  The HSC Libraries' Course Reserves service maintains, for use in specific courses, a collection of materials including books, videos, book chapters, periodical articles, lecture outlines, PPT presentations, sample exams, and class notes. The HSC Libraries offer two types of reserves: electronic and print reserves. Items are placed on reserve at the request of the instructor and are either held for use at the Circulation/Reserves Desk or are made available via the electronic reserves (eReserves) system, depending on format and copyright permissions status.
• What are Electronic Reserves (eReserves)?   
  The HSC Libraries' eReserves service makes it possible for documents to be made available via the Internet on demand, whenever they are needed. Students are able to view, print or download eReserves material either within the Library or remotely, using a web browser such as FireFox or Internet Explorer. Documents are attached to a course reserves page, which is password protected. Documents in the eReserves system are stored in Portable Document Format (PDF) and require Adobe Acrobat software for viewing or printing. (Download Acrobat for free.)

The Library keeps a physical copy of reserves items that cannot be stored electronically. Length and/or copyright considerations are among the reasons that prevent electronic dissemination. Entire books and articles for which the publisher denies electronic access are not available through eReserves. Print (hard copy) reserves material are kept at the Circulation/Reserves Desk on the first floor of the Library.

• How do students access course reserves materials?   
  Course materials can be searched from the eReserves Web page, which will indicate whether the materials are accessible electronically or at the Circulation/Reserves Desk. To access the course reserves page, students must obtain passwords from their instructors.
• Can eReserves be accessed off-campus?   
  Yes, provided a student has a Gatorlink account and has connected through the Off-Campus Access Page or is using the VPN (Virtual Private Network). Additionally, students will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on their computers to view and print scanned articles. (Download Acrobat for free.)  Materials are available 24/7, on demand.
• Can students print items found in the eReserves system?   
  Yes. Scanned documents that have been posted to eReserves, or documents from other websites that are available via a link in eReserves, can be printed directly from the system. If the required reading is a print reserves item (such as an entire book), students must borrow the item from the Circulation/Reserves Desk.
• Whom do I contact if I have questions about course reserves?   
  Please contact the HSC Libraries' Course Reserves office at or email eres@health.ufl.edu.
  

Submitting Material

• How do I place course material on reserve?   
  To place materials on reserve faculty must first register with the eReserves system and have a course reserves page created for them. Once that is completed, materials can be placed on reserve by filling out the Course Reserves Request Form. Full citations are necessary in order to accurately process the items. Items without a citation will not be put on reserve. Once a reading list is processed, the faculty member will receive a password for the course.
  
  NOTE: Faculty members are responsible for distributing the password to students.

• When should I submit materials for course reserves?   
  Please submit your course materials at least three weeks prior to the beginning of the semester.  You may fax, email or drop off your materials.
• How long will it take for my materials to be added to course reserves?   
  All or most of the required readings on syllabi/course reading lists received three weeks prior to the beginning of the semester will be ready and accessible through eReseves or at the Circulation/Reserves Desk by the start of the semester.  You will be notified via email when your materials are posted.
• Is there a limit to the number of items I may place on reserve?   
  While there is no limit to the number of items placed on reserve, we ask that you prioritize the material in the order that you need it for class.
  
  
• What happens if the library does not own the material I wish to place on reserve?   
  If the HSC Libraries do not own the materials you request, you will need to provide us with a copy of the item and obtain copyright permission if needed.  Please see the FAQ on personal materials.
• What if the book I want to place on reserve is checked out?   
  Course Reserves staff will place a recall on the item. Patrons have 14 days from the day the recall is placed to return the item.
• May I place books from other libraries on reserve?   
  No. Only materials owned by the HSC Libraries or the instructor will be placed on reserve.
• May I place personal materials on reserve?   
  Yes. The library must mark the item for reserve. Be aware that it is unlikely the material will be returned in the same condition as when it was placed in the library's care.
• Can journals be placed on course reserve?   
  Bound volumes and unbound journal issues may not be placed on reserve. Individual articles may be copied and, 'fair use' or copyright clearances permitting, placed on electronic or print reserve.
• Can book chapters be placed on eReserves?   
  Yes. One book chapter or up to 10 percent of a book (whichever is less) may be placed on eReserves.  If more than that is required, the entire book must be placed on print (hard copy) reserve at the Circulation/Reserves Desk.  Some exceptions apply: please contact HSC Libraries' Course Reserves at or email eres@health.ufl.edu to inquire.
  

Electronic Reserves (eReserves)   

• Whom do I contact to establish an account for eReserves?   
  To establish an account go to the Faculty Instructions page, email us at eres@health.ufl.edu, or call .
  
  
• Are faculty and teaching assistants able to manage their own course reserves pages?    
  No. At this time, course reserves pages are maintained by Course Reserves staff. Instructors submit requests via the Course Reserves Request Form. Pages are then created and materials added by Course Reserves staff. Please contact us for more information.
  
  
• What kind of documents can I put on reserve?   
  You may place most types of documents on eReserves, including PDF, html, Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
  
  
• Is it possible to save course reserves pages to use them in a future semester?    
  Yes. Individual items and even entire course reserves pages may be archived for later use, copyright permitting.
  
  
• Are Print (hard copy) reserves being eliminated?   
  No. You may continue to place books, videos and other non-electronic materials on reserve at the Circulation/Reserves Desk, or by calling Bob Lockwood at 352.273.8431.
  
  
• Who is responsible for making sure my eReserves comply with copyright law?   
  Instructors are responsible for complying with fair use and copyright law. The eReserves staff review all content before it is displayed to the public. The HSC Libraries are not responsible for the fees associated with copyright permission -- however, our staff will work with the faculty member to explain the options. Please see the section on copyright for more information.
  
  
• What is the TEACH Act and how does it affect course reserves?   
  The TEACH Act [Technology, Education And Copyright Harmonization Act] addresses fair use of copyrighted material in distance education. TEACH does not apply to electronic course reserves.

Copyright Issues   

• Who is responsible for obtaining copyright clearance?   
  The faculty member is responsible for obtaining copyright clearance. Course Reserves staff can assist the faculty member with obtaining copyright permission. However, there is no guarantee that copyright clearance will be obtained.
• If there are copyright fees, who is responsible for paying them?   
  The faculty member is responsible for paying any royalties for copyright clearance.
• What if copyright clearance is not obtained?   
  If copyright clearance is not obtained, the course material will not be placed on reserve.
• What about 'fair use'? How do we determine if an item is fair use or not?   
  Fair use is determined based on weighing the four factors covered in Section 107 of US Code Title 17: Purpose of the use, Nature of the Work, Amount used relative to the work, and Effect on potential market. Each item requested is weighed by these four factors before being placed on reserve. Please see the Copyright Guidelines for further information.

End of Semester Issues   

• What happens to my course reserve material at the end of the semester?   
  Scanned articles are archived at the end of each semester and books are returned to the stacks. Personal copies of materials will be available for pick-up at the Circulation/Reserves Desk.
• Will my course reserves page be saved for the next semester?   
  The Course Reserves office does not automatically keep items on reserve for the following semester. Faculty must contact Course Reserves if they are teaching the same course again and want the same readings to remain on reserve in the following semester. Again, this is subject to copyright compliance.