[Draft] Course Reserves

Materials for required reading, viewing, or listening are placed on reserve at the request of an instructor. For most courses, students can access theses reserve materials through their course site in Canvas.

  • Most journal articles, eBooks, and streaming video/audio are available electronically directly through a course site in Canvas
  • Physical materials such as books, top textbooks, music scores, or DVDs may be listed in Canvas but are held for use at a specific library on campus; physical items are typically available for 3-hour loans, to allow multiple students to use them in a given day

For students

Access reserves in Canvas

  • Find course reserves in the navigation sidebar of your course's Canvas site
  • Request that a textbook be purchased for reserves at Perkins, Lilly at Bishop's House, or the Music Library

For instructors

Instructors can place materials on reserve through the Libraries so that they are readily and equitably available to all students in a course.

  • Placing electronic materials on reserve through the Libraries minimizes risk of copyright infringement. Examples include verifying content's licensing, requesting additional licenses for an item if needed, or requesting additional copyright permissions. Requests for digitized print and media must come through the Libraries and adhere to strict copyright standards for fair use
  • Physical items are typically available for 3-hour loans, to allow multiple students to use them in a given day. This includes the Top Textbooks program
  • Materials not currently owned or licensed by the Libraries that are needed for reserves may be requested for purchase, although additional time is required to fulfill these requests

It is important that instructors understand how the Copyright Act applies to course instruction. To learn more:

Getting started with course reserves in Canvas

In Canvas instructors have a new tool available to communicate with Duke Libraries regarding items they want reserved for students.

Click to expand the steps below to learn how to add course reserves to a course site in Canvas.

To enable the course reserves tool:

  • Log into Canvas
  • Select Courses > Settings from the left sidebar
  • Click the Navigation tab
  • Scroll down the list of available tools and you should see Course Reserves near the bottom
  • Click the three vertical dots to the right of Course Reserves to open a popup menu
  • Click Enable and you should now see Course Reserves grouped near the top with the enabled tools
  • Scroll to the bottom of the list and click Save

Saving should send you back to the Course Details tab of the Settings page. You should now see the Course Reserves tool in the left sidebar.

A course Reading List includes required materials for the given course. This could include books, textbooks, CDs, journal articles, DVDs, and even websites. Individual items or resources on the list are called a Citation. A single course in Canvas can include multiple reading lists.

To create a reading list:

  • Log into Canvas
  • Choose Course Reserves in the left sidebar
  • Click Create list

You will be prompted to specify the location for any physical course reserves materials you request for that Reading List: Perkins, Music, or Lilly at Bishop's House.

Items that you add to a course Reading List are called a Citation.

To add items to your reading list:

  • Click the blue +Add button and choose the Search the library option
  • In the search the library window, click on the down arrow to the right of Books & Media and select Catalog in the drop-down menu
  • Type search terms in the search bar or narrow your search using the Advanced search option
  • Add an item to your list by dragging and dropping or by clicking the plus sign and then the Add & Edit button
  • Click the Save button
  • Click the My list is ready button
  • Click Send list to the library

Library Reserves Coordinators will process the list to ensure that the requested items will be available to students.

The Send list to the library selection gives the option to check a box to "Also publish the list to students." For physical course reserves we recommend you do not check the box. Once a library course reserve coordinator has processed your list, they will publish it to make it available to students.

Streaming media requests

Instructors can request that video or audio be digitized by the library for use by students in a course.

  • Titles must be required for the course; recommended titles do not qualify for digitization
  • Video or audio available in streaming databases for which the Libraries have a licensed subscription will not be digitized, but links to these titles can be placed in your course site
  • Duke University Libraries must own a physical copy of any title to be digitized; we will attempt to purchase copies of titles not owned
  • Access to your streaming video or audio reserves is limited to registered students, faculty, and teaching assistants at Duke University
  • A physical copy of the video or audio (DVD/CD) will be placed on reserve in the library for the duration of the semester; if you plan to teach using the same video or audio in a later semester, please complete another request form for that subsequent semester
  • Titles will be made available one week before date of assigned viewing provided adequate lead time is given — a minimum of 5 business days prior to one week before date of assigned viewing
  • A maximum of 25 titles will be digitized per course, per semester

Place streaming media on reserve

Requests for classroom showing

Instructors can request that a DVD or video be placed on hold for use in a classroom showing. The DVD or video can then be picked up at a library location for use in a classroom showing.

Place request for classroom showing

Request a purchase

  • We will purchase books, e-Books, and textbooks for course reserves when possible
  • Please allow extra time for ordering, shipping and cataloging when an item must be purchased; items that must be purchased from international sources may arrive with significant delays
  • Many commercially available e-books are not available for purchase by libraries; this is generally true for materials produced by most textbook publishing houses

Course reserves for courses not using Canvas

  • The Libraries can support reserve requests for physical items (but not electronic reserves) for courses for which the instructor has chosen not to use Canvas
  • Items on reserve are available for 3-hour loans, to allow multiple students to use them in a given day

Place request for courses not using Canvas