Library About Policies Reserves

Course Reserves Policy

As a service to the students and faculty of Fairfield University, the DiMenna-Nyselius Library offers a reserve section where students can consult materials that are in heavy demand for their classes. Library-owned books and DVDs may be placed on reserve, as may professors' personal notes, or personal copies of books, videos, and other materials. Photocopies and reprints may also be placed on reserve, but with some restrictions, due to copyright law. Any materials that violate copyright law, such as unlawful copies or expired off-air tapes will not be accepted. It is also not possible to put reference books on reserve. In rare cases where an item is determined to be too fragile to withstand the handling to which reserve materials are subjected, the librarian reserves the right to deny a reserves request.

Gathering the Materials

You may bring any personal copies or selected library materials to the Library Services & Information Desk along with your reserves list for processing. If you prefer, our staff will retrieve Library materials for you from the circulating stacks; however please be aware this may increase processing time.

Information Needed

All reserve requests must include:

  • the professor's name
  • the semester during which the materials are to be accessible
  • the full course name
  • the course number.

For Library owned materials, please include:

  • each item’s LC call number
  • author
  • title
  • format (i.e. book, video, DVD etc.)
  • the number of copies of the item you wish to put on reserve
  • the reserve loan period (see the "reserve loan periods" section of this policy).

Personal copies:

  • author
  • title
  • format (i.e. book, video, etc.)
  • the number of copies of the item you wish to put on reserve
  • the reserve loan period (see the "reserve loan periods" section of this policy).

Photocopies:

  • author of the article or book in which the chapter appears
  • title of the article or book in which the chapter appears
  • format (i.e. article or book chapter, etc.)
  • the number of copies of the item you wish to put on reserve (you'll be limited to five copies)
  • the reserve loan period (see the "loan periods" section of this policy).

You must also indicate one of the following:

(a) whether you are the copyright owner,
(b) whether this is the first time you are placing the item on reserve without permission from the copyright owner,
(c) whether the item is within the public domain, or
(d) whether you have been granted permission to use the material by the copyright owner (your signature required). Please carefully read our "policy.

 

Submitting a Reserves Request

A reserve list must be submitted in order to place items on reserve. There are several options:

(A) Type your request into the 
(B) Obtain a printed copy of this form at the Library Services & Information desk.
(C) Send an e-mail to Sylvia Hurlburt, Access Services & Reserves Assistant, at shurlburt@fairfield.edu. Include all of the information needed to reserve materials for your course (see "information needed," above).

 

Note: Options A and C are not possible if a signature is required for a photocopy for which you must certify that you have been granted permission by the copyright owner.

Disclaimer

Reserves Services cannot be held responsible for mutilation and/or theft of material put on reserve, although security measures, including bar coding, are used. Please be aware that reserves processing procedures include labeling and bar coding even on personal copies, as the materials will be included temporarily in the Library's reserve collection so that students may have access to them via the Library Services & Information Desk. These can be removed from personal copies when the items are returned at the end of the semester.

Reserves Loan Periods

Faculty members may specify the circulation period for materials they place on reserve by choosing between the following four options:

In House: student may use within the library for four hours
Overnight: student may take the item home, but must return it by 10 a.m. the next day
3-Day: may be taken out of the library for 3 days
7-Day: may be taken out of the library for one week.

 

Please indicate the circulation period for your course materials when filling out the reserve form.

Once a professor reserves material for a class, faculty members not associated with that course may not take the item out of the library, even for classroom use, without the consent of the professor who originally placed the item on reserve. Please plan ahead. If you let our staff know 3 business days in advance, we will attempt to contact the professor to seek their consent. This policy ensures priority to those who reserve library materials, in case an item is needed at a moment's notice for the designated class. You are encouraged to place items on reserve if you plan to use them in class, or as supplementary resources for your students.

Additional information on borrowing privileges and loan periods can be found at:

Copyright

When dealing with photocopies or other reproductions where the instructor is not the copyright owner of the work, materials may be placed on reserve only if:

(1) they are in the public domain (U.S. government publication, or anything published before 1925)
(2) the copyright owner grants permission, or
(3) the use is a "fair use" under the law.

 

These same three stipulations apply to items capable of being publicly performed, such as videos, if the viewing will take place within the Library (you have the option of designating such an item as an "overnight reserve," so that it may be viewed privately).

For more on fair use and copyright standards, please see our Copyright policy page. 

Professors are required to indicate the copyright status of photocopied materials when filling out reserve forms. The library relies on the honor system, and does not require documentation of permissions gained. A signature is required, however, securing the faculty members' pledge to honor copyright law.