The Library continues to significantly reduce the number of print reserves and is offering access to course materials as electronic reserves. For most courses, your instructor will provide links to these items within your Canvas course site. For print reserves, search the Library Catalog (Primo) by course, instructor or title for the item you need. Print and media reserves can be checked out at the Circulation Desk.
The Campus Store sells and rents assigned course materials in both physical and electronic formats. The Library may have physical or electronic copies of some assigned course materials within its collections - search the Library Catalog (Primo) by course, instructor or title for for the item you need. If you require access to an item that is not currently held by the Library, please contact your liaison librarian, who will determine if the Library can purchase an electronic copy. You may also request a print copy through Summit or InterLibrary Loan.
Lemieux Library is committed to providing access to Course Reserve materials and affirms the importance of eliminating barriers to access and affordability facing students and faculty. With heightened preference for online materials, we will continue to significantly reduce the number of print reserves we will accept. When necessary, we will place a physical item on reserve, or acquire print format to accommodate scanning chapters within applicable copyright law.
Going forward, the Library will continue to preference ebooks and streaming media. Acquisition preferences include multi-user or unlimited user licensing for both ebooks and streaming media. Typically, we will not duplicate electronic and print content, but exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Lemieux Library supports instruction by offering access to course-related resources through course reserves. Upon instructor request, course reserve items may be set aside for limited-term loan from the Library’s Circulation Desk or made electronically available for digital access by students enrolled in the relevant course. The course reserve system facilitates student access to items that supplement core course materials but is not a substitute for assigning textbooks or coursepacks.
What other options do I have for providing students with access to Library and non-Library materials?
If you are unsure whether reserves are the best choice for your course, this table provides a detailed overview of instructor options for making both library and non-library materials available to students.
The Library is expanding access to streaming media resources in response to increased need for video in remote teaching. Although it maintains a physical collection of video materials, the Library cannot make DVDs or VHS tapes available as electronic reserves or for classroom streaming without obtaining streaming rights. Learn more about streaming media options in the Library’s Streaming Film and Media Guide. Instructors who planned to place DVDs, VHS tapes, or other media on physical reserve or to utilize them for screenings should contact their Liaison Librarian or Jan Hartley (Director of Resource Acquisitions and Management) with a list of titles needed. The Library will investigate the availability of requested titles for institutional leasing in streaming format and work with instructors to explore alternatives if necessary.
Instructors may request that material be placed on course reserve by following reserve request procedures. Instructors are responsible for compliance with applicable copyright law and should review the Library’s Course Reserves Policy prior to submitting a request.
Instructors may continue to submit requests to place materials from the Library’s print collection on reserve. The Library will investigate purchase or license of electronic versions of requested materials in order to fulfill such requests. When purchasing or licensing electronic materials is not feasible, the Library may create scans for electronic reserve and deliver them to instructors for upload to Canvas.
Scanning will be limited by applicable copyright laws. As described in the Library’s Course Reserves Policy, instructors are responsible for evaluating whether their reserve requests comply with copyright law. However, the Library may refuse to scan materials for placement on reserve when a request raises copyright or other legal or administrative concerns. In such cases, the Library will assist instructors in identifying electronic alternatives.
Print copies of course textbooks owned by the Library may be placed on reserve. Faculty owned copies may also be placed on reserve. Although textbooks are often available in electronic format, instructors should be aware that many electronic textbooks specifically published for course instruction cannot be purchased by libraries. Publishers often restrict electronic textbook sales and licenses to individual students, preventing libraries from obtaining copies that can be made available to students who do not purchase or rent them. Scanning of chapters from print textbooks for placement on electronic reserve may also be restricted by applicable copyright laws.
Liaison Librarians are available to assist instructors in exploring electronic textbook alternatives and may be able to identify options within existing Library collections or electronic materials available for library license. When it is not possible to identify an alternative to which the library can provide electronic access, the library recommends that students who are experiencing financial hardship reach out to Student Financial Services to discuss options. Student Financial Services can be reached at financialservices@seattleu.edu.
Can I link to the Library’s electronic resources from Canvas rather than place them on Course Reserve?
Yes! The Library maintains a guide on Direct Linking to Library Resources that explains how to create links to Library materials. Linking to Library resources is a best practice that avoids copyright complications and prevents redistribution of materials to users beyond your course. If the Library receives a reserve request for materials owned or licensed by the Library in electronic format, it will fulfill the request by providing links to the material rather than creating a reserve copy.
Please provide direct links to any electronic Library resources you wish to make available to students rather than uploading copies of the material to Canvas. The Library maintains a guide on Direct Linking to Library Resources that explains how to create links to Library materials.
Instructors may choose to host or link to other course materials within Canvas. However, under Seattle University's copyright policy, instructors are responsible for complying with copyright law when uploading and sharing materials on Canvas. Seattle University’s Center for Digital Learning and Innovation (CDLI) provides further guidance on copyright compliance when using Canvas.