Course reserves are physical materials that instructors request to be set aside for use by students in a specific course, for a designated period of time. This service is available at both the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library and the Rudolph Matas Library of the Health Sciences.

At Howard-Tilton, instructors may submit a list of items for reserve using the Course Reserve Request Form. Requests at Matas Library are handled separately. Materials are kept on reserve only for the duration of the course. If a book will be used as assigned reading, instructors are encouraged to consult with a liaison librarian to explore whether an eBook version can be acquired. Please note that interlibrary loan items may not be placed on reserve. 

Loan Periods 

Books can be placed on 3-day or strict reserve depending on availability. All reserve items must be returned directly to the Check-Out Desk. Items left on tables or returned via the indoor/outdoor book drop may accrue fines before being checked back in. 

Circulation options include: 

• Building use only: 2–5 hours (in one-hour increments)
• Unrestricted use: 1–3 days 

Media materials may be borrowed for the specified number of days and must be returned by the due date. Fines are $1.00 per day, up to a maximum of $20.00. 

Articles & Book Chapters 

Instructors may request scanned pages of books using the library’s Scan & Deliver service, available through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). These scans are delivered as PDFs and can be uploaded to Canvas for electronic reserve, in compliance with U.S. Copyright Law. 

For assistance with Canvas, contact the Innovative Learning Center at (504) 862-8594 or ilc@tulane.edu. 

Alternatives to Reserves 

As an alternative to placing physical items on reserve, instructors are encouraged to link library-licensed digital resources directly in Canvas. A guide for doing this is available here. 

The Innovative Learning Center, located on the library’s third floor, can assist with scanning and formatting materials for upload to Canvas. Contact: (504) 862-8594 or ilc@tulane.edu. 

Processing Time 

Please allow ample time for reserve processing, especially during the beginning of each semester when demand is high. When using the Scan & Deliver service, instructors should plan ahead to ensure materials are delivered to their ILL account in time. 

Copyright Guidelines 

Copyright restrictions limit the placement of the same item on reserve for the same course and instructor to one semester. The item can be placed on reserve again: 

• After skipping a semester
• For the same course under a different instructor 

At the end of each semester, instructors will be contacted to retrieve their materials. If not picked up within the designated timeframe (usually two weeks), items may become library property and disposed of at the library’s discretion. 

Contact for questions: 
 Hayden Battle, Head of Access Services 

Textbooks 

While Howard-Tilton Memorial Library does not purchase textbooks for reserves, instructors may place personal copies on reserve. 

Please note: 

• Commercial textbooks are often prohibitively expensive for libraries to maintain.
• Many publishers (e.g., Pearson, McGraw-Hill, Cengage) do not sell eBook versions to libraries.
• Open Educational Resources (OER) may offer a viable alternative. 

To place a textbook on reserve, submit the Course Reserve form and deliver the textbook to the library at least 7 days before classes begin to ensure availability on the first day. 

Reserve items will be labeled and barcoded. These labels will remain on items when returned to instructors. 

Textbooks

Howard-Tilton Memorial Library will place instructor’s copies of textbooks on reserve, although it does not purchase textbooks for this purpose. Commercial textbooks in print can be prohibitively expensive for libraries to maintain and do not come with accompanying online materials provided to students who purchase them. Also, most major textbook publishers (Pearson, McGraw-Hill, Cengage, etc.) will not sell their eBook versions to libraries fearing a loss in individual sales. For some instructors, Open Education Resources (OER) can be good alternatives to commercial textbooks. To place an instructor's copy of a textbook on reserve, please fill out the Course Reserve form here.

To ensure that copies of textbooks are available for students on the first day of class, instructors should submit the form and their textbooks to the library no less than seven (7) days before classes begin. Items on reserve will have labels placed on the front and barcodes in the back. The labels remain on the items when they are returned to instructors.