Reserve Collection Policy

The Library Reserve collection is designed to provide efficient access and control of materials that are heavily used by students. The collection consists primarily of materials which are essential to course work, such as required or recommended readings. Items are placed on Reserve for either three hours or two nights (i.e. three days), as specified by the instructor or the librarian.

The Library Reserve collection is not a stagnant collection, and as such is regularly maintained. Once a year, instructors receive a list of items on Reserve for each course, along with usage statistics. Through this mechanism instructors may elect to keep items on Reserve for the following academic year or remove them from Reserve. Items which have no record of circulation in the last two academic years will be removed from Reserve. The Library may also remove any items considered to be inconsistent with the Reserve collection guidelines, as outlined below.

Instructors are encouraged to use the Reserves portion of the Library catalogue, TOPCAT, to view what is on Reserve and to assist in keeping the collection relevant by informing the of any instructor or course code changes.

Please note that exams and syllabi are no longer collected by Library Reserves.

Materials which may be placed in the Library Reserve collection include:

• Books owned by the Library, to a maximum of two copies of the same item.
• Photocopies of articles or parts of books, to a maximum of two copies of the same item. Photocopies should be made in accordance with the guidelines of Access Copyright, the Canadian copyright licensing agency. For more details see Access Copyright .
• Personal copies of books or articles may be included, up to a maximum of two copies of the same item, although these materials are the least preferred. Personal copies will be catalogued and processed accordingly, with a call number, security tape, and circulation slip affixed. Do not provide personal copies of rare or valuable items. Personal copies are deposited at the lender’s risk and will not be replaced if lost or damaged while in the Reserve collection. The Library does not purchase course-packs or textbooks. However, upon request, the Library will gladly purchase other types of material to replace personal copies on Reserve.
• Other material types as requested, within physical limitations.
• The Library endeavours to identify parallel electronic sources for requested items and link these through Reserves whenever possible.
  

How to place materials in the Library Reserve collection:

Completed Reserve Request forms must be submitted for each individual item to be placed on Reserve. There are two forms – one for books and one for photocopies. Links to these forms are found on the Forms and Faculty webpages. The online forms are submitted electronically to the Reserves Assistant. Print copies of the forms are also available at the Library.

Please allow at least three weeks at the beginning of term for processing requests, and five business days at other times. Requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. For multiple requests, please assist the process by numbering the requests in sequential reading order, as required by the students.

If an item is already on Reserve for another instructor, complete a form for your own course, so that the reading can also appear under your name and course in TOPCAT. If two instructors have requested different loan periods, the shorter period (i.e. three hour) is used.

• Books – Search TOPCAT to see if the Library owns the book. If so, complete a Reserve Request form for Books and the book will be retrieved from the stacks on your behalf.
• Photocopies – Complete a Reserve Request form for Photocopies and send or deliver the accompanying photocopy to the Reserves Assistant.
• Personal copies – Send or bring these to the Reserves Assistant, and ensure that the accompanying Reserve Request form (for either books or photocopies) is submitted.
• For new books ordered for Reserves through your departmental Library Coordinator or the Library, also submit a separate Reserve Request form for Books.
  

Exceptions to the list of materials which may be placed in the Library Reserve collection:

• General high use items – Works that are of general importance to a large number of students can be placed on Reserve under the department name. For example, The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association can be listed under “Psychology”.
• Other high use items – Works such as government documents and reference materials may be placed on Reserve at the discretion of the unit’s librarian or archivist. These can be listed under “Library”.
  

 Exclusions from the Library Reserve collection:

• Current periodicals; bound journals; reference works; maps; items acquired through Interlibrary Loan; materials from Special Collections.

Contact Information:

• Reserves Assistant - Telephone: 705-748-1011 ext. 7456
• Email:
• Located in Library Technical Services, 2nd floor.

Approved by the Librarians’ Committee – October 2007
Approved by the Library Advisory Sub-Committee – November 2007
Marisa Anna Scigliano, Technical Services Librarian

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Last Modified: January 12, 2011
Maintained by , Thomas J. Bata Library.