Reserves Policy
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS LIBRARIES
POLICIES AND GUIDELINES NO.15
RESERVES POLICIES
Revised May 2005.
I. Introduction
The University of Texas Libraries offers both electronic reserves and on-site reserves collections services.
Materials are placed on electronic reserve by instructors for use by students
enrolled in their courses. Materials are placed in on-site reserves collections
(1) at the request of instructors to support the academic programs of the various
departments, and (2) by library staff to control or protect vulnerable materials
and those consistently in heavy use. These materials circulate both outside and
in the library according to the loan periods noted in IV.C. below.
II. Electronic Reserves
Instructors are responsible for placing course materials on electronic reserve.
Materials on electronic reserve are available online through the University of Texas Libraries
web page and are restricted to the students enrolled in each course. Electronic
reserves are available from Internet-connected computers and may be accessed
simultaneously by any number of students. Therefore, no loan periods are
associated with electronic reserves. See
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/services/reserves/index.html
Because instructors control their own electronic reserve materials, they may
add and remove materials at any time during the semester. Instructors are
responsible for complying with The University of Texas System Policy Statement
on Use of Copyrighted Materials.
The University of Texas Libraries staff are responsible for maintaining the electronic
reserves software and server, issuing electronic reserves accounts to instructors,
and training instructors to use the software. Library staff may limit the number
of electronic reserve items which can be posted for each course to accommodate
space constraints on the reserves server.
III. Location of On-Site Reserves Collections
- The preferred location for library materials is the library unit where
most of the materials on the subject are held. The primary reserve location for courses in the social
sciences, humanities, nursing, and library and information science is the
Perry-Castañeda Library (PCL). PCL also maintains reserves for undergraduate
courses in the colleges of Business and Education, the School of Nursing, and the
departments of Economics and Psychology. In addition, the following units of the
University of Texas Libraries provide reserve services for their respective departments,
programs, schools, and colleges: Architecture and Planning Library, Benson Latin
American Collection, Chemistry Library, Classics Library, Engineering Library,
Fine Arts Library, Geology Library, Life Science Library,
Physics-Mathematics-Astronomy Library, and Public Affairs Library. Reserve
collections for audiovisual materials are located in the Audio Visual Library in
Flawn Academic Center and in the Fine Arts Library. Limited facilities for audiovisual reserves
are available in some other units; requests should be discussed with the reserve
supervisor.
- Multiple locations of reserves for a single course are to be
avoided whenever possible. Unless needed for reserve in the owning library,
circulating materials within the University of Texas Libraries will be lent to other libraries
for reserve use except for audiovisual materials in the Fine Arts Library and
the Audio Visual Library.
- In order to provide optimum access to reserve materials, all
materials on reserve should be placed in the University of Texas Libraries rather than in
unofficial departmental locations.
IV. Placing Materials in On-Site Reserve Collections
- Instructions for submitting reserve requests are sent to faculty by
the University of Texas Libraries approximately eight weeks prior to the beginning of each
semester. Reserve request forms with complete and legible information will be
processed in the order received. The time required to process reserve requests
varies with the work load of the unit, the availability of materials, and the
accuracy of the information supplied on the forms. Incomplete requests will be
returned to the instructor by the reserve supervisor.
An instructor's request for materials which are owned by the library should
be submitted to the library unit five working weeks before the first class day
of that semester. Materials not in the collection will be ordered on a rush basis.
However, the library cannot guarantee receipt by the beginning of the semester.
Reserve readings should be assigned only after adequate processing time has
been allowed. Reserve supervisors can provide an estimate of the time required.
- Library units which provide reserve services will supply Reserve
Request forms. The form is also available on line at
Request Reserves. Materials requested must be
identified by call number, author, title, and, if necessary, edition. Materials
should be listed in the order in which they will be assigned. On each reserve
request the instructor's name, ID number, address, and phone number, and the
course department, title, number, and unique number must be provided.
- The following loan periods are available for reserves: Two-Hour, Overnight,
Three-Day, and Library Use.
- The Two-Hour and Overnight (due one hour after opening on the next day
the circulation desk is open) loan periods are recommended for heavily used
materials. The Library Use loan period is recommended for materials which need
special protection.
- When more than one instructor requests that a given item be placed on
reserve, it will usually be placed on the shortest loan period requested.
- The reserve supervisor has the final responsibility for the number of
copies placed on reserve, for determining the loan period when an item is
requested by more than one instructor, for changing loan periods due to changing
patterns of use, and for removing materials from reserve.
- Reserve supervisors may request instructors with lengthy or complex
reserve lists to limit their lists to required materials when constraints on
reserve space and staff time make fulfillment of requests difficult.
- Most library and personal materials may be placed on reserve. The
following types of materials generally will not be accepted for reserve: reference
works, library copies of periodicals, and non-circulating items from special
collections. Equipment such as calculators, cassette players and portable
microfiche readers may be placed on reserve. Personal items may be placed on
reserve with the understanding that they will be processed for use (which may
include application of labels and date due slips and tagging for the security
system) and that the library is not responsible for their loss or damage.
- On reading lists provided to students, instructors should clearly
indicate the items on reserve, the library unit where the reserve materials are
located, and the data elements necessary to enable students to find the materials.
The instructor's name, teaching assistant's name, and course name and number
should be noted on each reading list.
V. Acquisition of On-Site Reserve Collection Materials
- Materials in University of Texas Libraries collections:
Circulating materials from one University of Texas Libraries unit may be placed on reserve
in another University of Texas Libraries unit if necessary.
Reserve needs take precedence over individual research needs. For this reason
materials are recalled from borrowers for reserve regardless of the length of
time the materials have been checked out to them.
- Materials not in University of Texas Libraries collections:
If a requested item is not owned by the University of Texas Libraries or is not available
for reserve use, this situation will be reported to the instructor who requested
the item. A rush order for the item will be placed when in compliance with the
collection development policies of the library.
- Copies may be purchased based on the size of the class, the cost of the
materials, anticipated use and availability elsewhere on campus. A ratio of
one copy to thirty students may be used as a guideline. Reserve supervisors will
consult with the appropriate bibliographer to acquire more copies when necessary.
- The instructor will be notified if an item is out of print. Library staff
will not automatically search the antiquarian book market for such an item
unless specifically asked to do so by the instructor.
- The copyright law (Title 17 U.S. Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Copies for reserve
use must be made in compliance with the "fair use" provisions of Section 107 and
with The University of Texas System Policy Statement on Use of Copyrighted
Materials.
- Library units will not copy materials for reserve.
- Copies of copyrighted materials will be accepted for reserve from the
instructor if they comply with U.T. System policy and copyright law. A ratio
of one copy to thirty students may be used as a guideline.
VI. Removing Materials from On-Site Reserves Collections
- It is the responsibility of the instructor to notify the reserve
supervisor before the end of the current semester if items must remain on reserve
for the succeeding semester. Processing to remove items begins immediately after
the end of the semester.
- Materials may be temporarily released from reserve to an individual
providing that permission is obtained from the instructor(s) who reserved the
materials and at the discretion of the reserve supervisor.
- Instructors will be notified when they may retrieve personal
materials which are no longer needed for reserve.
Approved by Harold Billings, Director of University of Texas Libraries, 1/10/91
Revisions recommended by Circulation Services Committee 4/24/02
Edited by Jo Anne Hawkins, Associate Director for Public Services, 4/30/02
Approved by Harold Billings 10/01/02
