Course Reserves Setup

Course Reserves Online via Canvas

Course Reserves will be made available online via Canvas.

To provide more accessible and equitable access to course materials for students, the Library will continue to provide primarily digital course reserves.

In limited circumstances, when we are not able to provide digital versions of requested materials or when the number of full-text requests per course exceeds ten items, the Library may place materials on physical reserve. The Library generally cannot provide digital access to textbooks designed for classroom use, and if more than ten reserves requests are submitted for entire works for a single course, we may reach out to you to help us determine your priorities. We will prioritize complete work requests for which it is essential for all students enrolled in the class to have electronic access.

The Library will make every effort to provide electronic access to course reserve materials. We will continue to purchase electronic copies whenever possible and will explore other methods of providing access to materials online.

The Library is able to provide access to some streaming media for course reserves. However, some media is not available in streaming format and some is only available for individual licensing, most notably films and shows that are exclusive to Amazon, Netflix, PBS, HBO, etc. Please submit your streaming requests through Canvas, and the Library will investigate licensing options. We will let you know as soon as possible if the requested film is unavailable.

We ask that you submit your requests for reserves material as soon as is practical. If you have any questions about reserves, please contact reserve@lib.uchicago.edu.

Instructors or TAs should submit reserves requests directly through Canvas, as well as import course reserves lists from previous courses (including Chalk courses).

Using Canvas to Submit Course Reserves

Importing Course Reserves Lists From Previous Courses (Including Chalk)

Copyright for Course Reserves

Student Access to Reserves

Scan and Deliver should not be used in place of course reserves.

Advantages of Course Reserves

Course reserves are high-demand resources assigned for a specific course.

Copyright concerns are addressed.
Our staff follow the policies set by the University regarding copyright and fair use.

We do the scanning.
Library staff will scan chapters of books or articles for e-reserve, and create links to the Library's online collections.

We'll help you find the items you need for your course.
The Library's collections are available to support your teaching. If the Library doesn't have a particular item that you need for class, in some cases, we can purchase the item specifically for reserves.