Reserve Policy for Wilmington University Library

Purpose:

The purpose of this policy is to keep the Wilmington University Library Reserves current and to provide sufficient shelf space for all instructors to place materials on reserve in the Library.

Policy:

• The Wilmington University Library Reserve area is for the housing of course related materials and is intended to give students easy access to supplemental and/or research materials for a particular course.

• Items placed on reserve are “limited circulation.” They may be checked out for a predetermined limited period of time, usually “Library Only,” ensuring that all students in the course have the opportunity to view the materials.

• Loan period decisions are left to the discretion of the instructor and will only be changed at the instructor’s request; however, faculty videos will always circulate as “Library Only.”

• Materials should be used for a specific course. Items that have special permission to stay on reserve for more than one semester must be used regularly. Any item not used for one academic year will be removed from the reserve collection.

• Materials relevant to Wilmington University faculty and staff (strategic plans, proposals, etc.) are also placed on the reserve shelves. These materials will be placed under the heading “General Reserve.”

• Materials placed on reserve are usually the instructor’s personal items or Wilmington University Library materials. These items may include, but are not limited to, books, media, and articles. All copies of articles must include a complete citation of the work. Textbooks, tests, homework, answer sheets, exercises, lecture notes, etc. may not be placed on reserve. Please bring reserve materials to the Library at least one week prior to the start of the course for processing.

• Materials placed on reserve must meet the “Fair Use” criteria listed in Title 17, Section 107 of the U.S. Code (http://www.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ21.pdf) or receive permission from the copyright holder to use copyrighted material for instructional purposes. The Library reserves the right to refuse any material for reserve if it is suspected it might be in violation of copyright law.

• Before submitting an item to be placed on reserve, instructors are encouraged to investigate the availability of that article in the various full-text databases subscribed to by the Library for use by Wilmington University students, faculty, and staff. Since we have already paid for access to these databases, this avoids copyright and licensing issues. It also saves the time and effort of processing these documents. Faculty with questions about this are encouraged to consult the Library for details.

• Wilmington University Library cannot be held responsible for personal items placed on reserve that disappear from the shelf or are destroyed.

• Reserve materials that are overdue are fined at the rate of $1.00 per day per item. The student will be charged for all reserve materials that are not returned to the Library plus all processing fees. Students may not register for classes or receive transcripts or diplomas until all financial obligations are met.

Procedure:

• Items placed on permanent reserve will be reviewed periodically for usage and may be returned to the instructor. Those materials not used in a period of one academic year will be removed from reserve.
• At the end of the semester, personal items on reserve will be removed from reserve and returned to faculty. At the end of the semester, library materials on reserve will be removed from reserve and returned to the appropriate location in the Library.
• The instructor is responsible for providing the Library with a copy of the item to be placed on reserve or a list of books owned by Wilmington University to be placed on reserve each semester that the items are to be placed on reserve.
• Items that are loose (for example, articles) must be bound in some manner, such as a binder or manila folder.
• These instructions will be available on Blackboard.
• The Library will claim materials left on reserve by instructors who no longer teach at Wilmington University

Method of Access:

• Access to the reserve collection must be in person with a valid University ID or Library card at the Wilmington University Library Information Desk.
• Users may make one copy each for private study, personal reading, research, scholarship, or education.