Course Reserves

Items are placed on reserve, either closed or open, to allow your entire class to use key or supplemental materials for that class. Placing items on reserve allows all students in the class to have equal access to these items. This page covers only print reserves. For electronic course readings, please contact the ITS: Solutions Center at (719)389-6449 to learn more about the campus-wide use of Canvas.

Copyright Basics and Library Reserve Policies

Materials obtained from other libraries through Interlibrary Loan or Prospector cannot be placed on reserve due to copyright law and consortial agreements. Any copies or scans done for reserves must meet the standards of fair use as outlined in Section 107 of the US Copyright Law, or have the explicit permission of the copyright holder. They should also include bibliographic information.

Faculty who are interested in learning more about copyright and fair use may want to consult the copyright guide or the complete Colorado College copyright policy. Tutt Library adheres to the American Library Association Interlibrary Loan Code in setting the course reserves policy.

How to Place Items on Reserve

There are two ways to place items on reserve:

1) Faculty can bring items they want to put on reserve to the circulation desk. This is the best way to assure that reserves are done quickly and any problems are resolved immediately. If materials are not available as expected, the faculty member will then be on the spot to make appropriate substitutions, place recalls, or do whatever is needed in the moment.

2) Faculty can send their list to Circulation Staff or your Liaison Librarian or they may be dropped off at the circulation desk. Requests must be received 7 days prior to the start of the block in which the reserves will be used. Lists must include the full Title, Author, Edition (if relevant), and Call # of each item on the list. We also need the following information with each request:

  • Professor's name
  • Professor's phone number
  • Department name
  • Course Number
  • Block(s) the item is to remain on reserve

Items that may be placed on reserve include:

  • Lecture notes, problem solutions, etc.
  • Any circulating Tutt Library item (e.g. books, videos, etc.)
  • Personal copies of books or videos
  • Single photocopies of articles, poems, a book chapter, or other short readings that meet fair use
  • Any material for which permission has been granted by the publisher or through the Copyright Clearance Center
  • Any item that is non-hazardous, small enough to fit on the shelf, and we can affix a barcode to it (e.g. molecular models, shrapnel, fossils)

What may not be placed on reserve include:

  • Photocopies of an entire book or portions of a copyrighted work that exceed fair use
  • "Consumable" publications such as standardized tests, exercises, or workbooks
  • Coursepacks produced by other campus departments
  • Most non-circulating items from Tutt Library (e.g. bound journals, Special Collections materials)
  • Items obtained through Interlibrary Loan or Prospector

Open Reserves

Faculty may choose to put their books on open reserve, in the room designated for that purpose within Tutt Library. Books on open reserve may be freely used within the open reserves room, but may not leave the room, or the library. Generally, faculty choose open reserves when students must share, browse and compare many books (as in many Art History classes), or when students must collaborate on an assignment that involves developing bibliographies for specific topics. It is a professor's choice whether to use open or closed reserves. If you are unsure whether open or closed reserves best suit your classroom needs, please contact Circulation Staff or, if she is unreachable, the Circulation Desk.

Students and Print Reserves

Students may check out one reserve item at a time. Reserve items normally check out for 4 hours, and must remain in the library. Exceptions must be communicated directly to the Circulation Desk, or to Circulation Staff, by the faculty member.

Videos on reserve never leave the library unless the faculty member has made an exception. Books or other items may, however, be checked out overnight within two hours before the library closes. Overnight loans are due when the library opens the very next morning.

Students are responsible for the timely return of all materials, and should ask at the Circulation Desk if they are unclear about what time something is due, or any other rules about reserves. The library may notify a student's faculty member in cases where they have seriously abused the reserves rules.

Contact Person: Circulation Staff, Circulation Team Coordinator, (719)389-6914

Alternate Contact Person: Circulation Desk, (719)389-6184, or your Liaison Librarian.

Report an issue - Last updated: 08/28/2023