Teaching this Fall? Here’s What to Know if You’re Using Course Reserves

If you’re teaching this fall, we have some important updates for you to consider regarding course reserves.

Important Reminders

• To ensure your students have reliable, ready access to their course readings, submit your course material requests to the Ares Course Reserves System.
• Course reserve lists will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
• If you haven’t submitted your requests yet, please do so as soon as possible to ensure your content is available for students when they need it.
• We are no longer proactively buying required textbooks to put on course reserve. If you wish to have the required textbook for your course placed on reserve, please request it by adding it to your Ares Course Reserve list.
• Instructor copies to be placed on course reserve can be dropped off at the Ask Us Desk.
• You can book an appointment with us if you want assistance with course reserves for your classes – we are no longer offering this as a drop-in service.

Some Benefits of Using Ares Course Reserves

If you don’t currently use course reserves for your classes, we encourage you to consider doing so. Here’s why...

• Using Ares Course Reserves ensures your course content is compliant with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and meets copyright guidelines.
• For any undergraduate course with a current Ares Course Reserve list, a copy of the required text will be placed on course reserve if the library already owns a copy. We will also purchase textbooks to place on reserve if you specifically request it by adding the title to your Ares list.
• We buy textbooks in e-book format, when possible, but often print is our only choice due to publisher restrictions. 
• Ares Course Reserves lists can easily be integrated into CourseLink.
• When you consider alternative options as opposed to commercial textbooks, you can:
• Include individual chapters (subject to copyright guidelines) and post them to Ares as a reading list (we’ll obtain and pay for the copyright permissions, when possible, for requests that exceed copyright guidelines).
• Create an online course pack by linking via Ares from the library’s extensive collections of electronic resources, including e-books, journal articles, streaming media, and other digital materials.
• Learn more about using the Ares Course Reserves system in the Instructor Guide to Course Reserves.

Interested in learning more about alternative options to commercial textbooks? Learn more about open educational resources.

Questions?

Contact us. We're happy to help.

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