Course Reserves: Faculty Information (updated): Home

Copyright and Fair Use

Instructors are responsible for compliance with copyright and fair use of course materials as well as for adhering to license agreements for SHU Library-licensed eResources.

In consideration of the fair use exception to U.S. copyright law, limited portions of a work can be placed on eReserve. The Library does not purchase materials for course reserves. Instructors are encouraged to draw course materials from the Library’s physical or online collections. 

Readings should not remain available to students on eReserve longer than one semester without copyright permission. Refer to explanations of “Fair Use” for more information. Being that fair use laws are discretionary, it is recommended that faculty use a fair use checklist for proper evaluation of a resource.

Linking eReserves to online courses
Creating persistent links or permalinks is the recommended method for linking library materials to your online course. Visit our Persistent Links guide or watch our  persistent links video tutorial to help get started.

Materials not owned by SHU Library

If a resource is not available through the library’s physical collection or subscription databases, it is the responsibility of the faculty member to obtain the item and post it to their online course. If a faculty member has access to a resource through other means, it is their responsibility to post those resources on Blackboard as well.

The decision to post items obtained outside of SHU library's collections is solely that of the faculty member. 

The library will offer support and resources to evaluate fair use but is not liable for challenged materials. For help with determining copyright restrictions and evaluating fair use, more information can be found on the library's Fair Use page.

Materials (physical) owned by SHU Library

Materials owned on campus may be made available electronically to SHU students and faculty engaged in long distance education. 

In accordance with U.S. Copyright Law, the library will scan journal articles or acceptable portions of print books owned by the library. Scanned PDF files will be emailed directly to faculty.

What can be placed on physical reserve?

Physical Reserves include library books, DVDs, and personal items provided by faculty members (all materials must be lawfully acquired due to copyright restrictions).

The following items may not be placed on Physical Reserve:

• Non-circulating library items such as those located in Reference, Special Collections, Archives, and Faculty and Alumni Authors. 
• Periodicals.
• Items owned by another library either obtained through interlibrary loan or borrowed by the faculty.
• DVDs rented from a business.
• Any item that would violate Copyright infringement or the guidelines of Fair Use.

Processing Time

Reserve requests may take up to 3 weekdays (72 hours) to process. It is preferable that faculty bring the material to the library Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. when the Reserve staff is on duty. Items received in the evenings or on weekends will be held for the Reserve staff to process the next business day.

Physical Reserve Request Form

Download and complete a Physical Course Reserve Form. Faculty can bring the completed form along with the library-owned books and personal items to the circulation desk. Blank forms are also available at the circulation desk. 

Returning Personal Materials 

 All personal physical reserve materials must be picked up at the end of each semester.  If the same materials need to be placed on reserve again, another form should be filled out. 

For assistance with physical reserves contact Shari Baron at barons@sacredheart.edu.