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Course Reserves: About Course Reserves

Course reserves provide access to items needed for class assignments. Instructors can place items on reserve for students enrolled in their courses. It can sometimes be referred to as electronic reserves (ERes)

Using Course Reserves

Course Reserves facilitates access to multiple uses of materials by students in a class.

Instructors may place these items on reserve:

  • Books
  • DVD or VHS
  • Articles
  • PDF

Two forms of course reserve access:

  1. Electronic Reserve (ERes) items will have a link to them. Click on the link, then login with your ecom credentials, and you will get an electronic copy of the document.
  2. Physical reserve materials at Malpass Library can be checked out at the Access Services desk on the 2nd floor. They may not leave the building. Some physical items are located at branch libraries.

What Are the Advantages?

  • Students save money by not buying their own copy of a reading.
  • Electronic reserves (ERes) are available online to students 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even when the library is closed.
  • Students can access required readings from the convenience of their home or in a computer lab.
  • ERes documents can be accessed directly from the Course Reserves link in WestCat's header.
  • If faculty request that items owned by WIU be put on reserve, the Reserve staff will retrieve them.
  • The Reserve Department checks copyright for all ERes items put on Reserve.

A Guide To Course Reserves

Is there an item on reserve for your class?

The purpose of the Reserve Collection is to provide special access to items that are needed for class assignments or that are in high demand. We offer faculty a traditional paper-based reserve option or use of the electronic reserve model, ERes.

  • Paper: Items physically located at a reserve desk, normally designated with a 2-hour (in-house) check out period.
  • ERes (Electronic Reserves): Online items that are placed on reserve by instructors for students enrolled in their courses. They are password-protected due to copyright considerations.

Items with reserve status are listed in the online catalog under Course Reserves. Most print Course Reserve items can be checked out up at the Access Services (Circulation) Unit of the Leslie F. Malpass Library (2nd floor), but there are also collections at the Curriculum, Music, and Quad Cities libraries.