Using Library Course Reserves
Course materials for most courses will be available in the Ares Course Reserve system during the Fall 2026 semester. However, the library’s course reserve system will be transitioning from Ares to a new platform, called Library Course Reserves. During this transition, course materials for a small number of Fall 2026 courses participating in a pilot of the new system, will be available via Library Course Reserves rather than Ares. Consult the list of Fall 2026 courses participating in the pilot to find out if your course is one that is participating.
Unless you are enrolled in a course that is participating in the pilot, please continue to use the Ares Course Reserves system during the Fall 2026 semester.
Accessing Ares
Log in to Ares using your U of G credentials to find and access your course materials. You may also access Ares from your course in CourseLink, if your instructor has enabled this feature.
Guidance on using Ares is provided below.
Accessing the new Library Course Reserves system (courses participating in the Fall 2026 pilot only)
Use your U of G credentials to log in to the Library Course Reserves system. You may also access Library Course Reserves from your course in CourseLink, if your instructor has enabled this feature.
For guidance on accessing and navigating the new Library Course Reserve system, see the Library Course Reserves Guide for Students.
Using Ares
- Once you login to Ares using your U of G credentials, click on "View Course” to display both the online and physical materials that your instructor has made available.
- Click on “View Item” to access online materials.
- Physical materials do not display a “View Item” link. You can click on “Show Details” for more information about the item's location and availability.
- Your instructor may also have made course reserve materials available via CourseLink.
Troubleshooting for students using course reserves
There may be several reasons why you are unable to access course reserve materials for the courses that you are enrolled in. Below are some possible causes, along with suggestions on how to resolve them.
Issues with registration
To access course materials in the library's course reserve systems, you must be registered in the course. There are several systems that we use to confirm your registration. If there are errors in your registration like you registered late, were withdrawn, or aren’t registered for this semester, there will be delays (up to 48 hours) in getting access to course reserves once your registration issue is fixed.
Contact the Office of Registrarial Services to resolve registration-related issues.
Issues with central login
Sometimes the issue is related to your central login. This may be the case if you experience any of the following issues:
- You cannot login to Ares or the Library Course Reserves system.
- You can log into Ares or the Library Course Reserves system, either directly or via CourseLink, but the course(s) you are enrolled in are not listed.
- You can access your courses in Ares or the Library Course Reserves system, but when trying to view individual items, you get an error message that you are not authorized to view them.
In these scenarios, contact IT Help who can investigate your central login account.
Issues with instructor's materials
When course materials are not listed in Ares or the Library Course Reserves system, it is often because the course instructor has not yet placed any course materials on course reserve. If you are accessing course reserves via CourseLink, it may also be that the instructor has not updated CourseLink with the correct links for the current semester. Please contact your instructor for more information.
Lastly, if you are a TA for a course, ask the course instructor to contact us to request access to Ares or the Library Course Reserves system for you.
How to use the physical reserve collection
- The physical reserve collection is self-serve and available to borrow on a first come, first served basis.
- You can check the availability of an item in Omni, Ares, or the Library Course Reserves system (Fall 2026 pilot courses only). In Ares, find the item and then click on “Show Details” for the location, status, loan period, and call number.
- Most physical reserve items can be borrowed for four hours. A few reserve titles are available for one day (24 hours) or three days.
- Use the self check out machine to check out reserve items.
- Course reserve materials are permitted to leave the McLaughlin Library building.
- Return reserve items to the Reserve Return Shelves rather than the book return bins.
- Further instructions on how to borrow these items are posted adjacent to the collection.
- For more information about borrowing physical course reserve items see our Borrowing Policies.
Faculty & instructors
The library's course reserves service gives your students convenient access to course materials that you select from the library collection, such as books, e-books, textbooks, book chapters, journal articles and streaming media, as well as websites, online documents, and your own copies of books and other materials.
We ensure all materials posted in our course reserve system are copyright-compliant, meet the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and can be directly integrated into CourseLink.
Print books may also be placed on reserve and are made available to students on a four hour loan. Some titles can be made available on a one day (24 hour) loan if there are multiple copies. At your request, items may also be made available for a three day loan.
- Learn how to place materials on reserve for your course
- Learn how to import Ares course reserves into your CourseLink site
- Learn about e-books and course reserves
- Learn how to request streaming media for your course