Guide to Using the Course Reserves System
Student Information: Accessing Course Reserves
If your instructor has indicated that course materials are available through course reserves, you may access them through your Blackboard course. Please log into Bb and click on the Library Reserves Home link under the Course Content section of your course to view the materials your instructor has placed on reserve for your class.
Items listed as available on Electronic Reserves can be read, viewed, or listened to from your device by clicking on the item or the View Item link. If an item is listed as available at Reserve Desk, then a physical copy of a book, CD, or DVD is available in-house at the library. Loan periods for items available at the library vary from 3 hours to 7 days depending on the item. To borrow a physical item, please stop by the Circulation desk with your UMBC ID card and the call number of the item(s) you wish to borrow.
Questions? Contact your instructor or email reserves-group@umbc.edu or call 410-455-2234.
Faculty Information: Accessing Course Reserves
Need help preparing course materials? Let the library scan, find, purchase, and link materials for you!
Getting Started
The AOK Library uses Blackboard (Bb) to make course materials available through physical and electronic Course Reserves. Submit all course reserves requests directly from your course site in Bb. The link to library reserves is included by default in all Bb course shells, but if you need to re-add the link or add it to a certain section of your course, you can add it from the Content Market by following these instructions.
Creating Course Reserves Content
When using reserves, you can upload content, set and receive reminders, and create tags. Students can add favorites, export citations, and download readings. More information on submitting materials for course reserves, including copyright guidelines, can be found on our instructor’s guide page.
Copying Course Reserves Content
When copying past course materials to your current course:
- You do not have to submit a new request for the copied item(s).
- For electronic materials, you do not have to re-upload the pdf. The scanned reading from our archives will be used.
- For personal copies, please bring the item to the Circulation Desk in the library, unless it was used during the immediate past semester.
For more detailed Information on how to copy reserve items between courses please view our instructor’s guide page.
Giving Students Access
Students enrolled in your course have access to materials listed as "available" for the duration of the semester. If you want to adjust access to an item, edit the “start” and/or “stop” dates when submitting your request for that item. Physical (hardcopy) reserve materials are only available for students to check out during posted library hours.
Questions? Email reserves-group@umbc.edu or call 410-455-2234.
Accessibility
UMBC is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive environment for all students, staff, and visitors. If you have difficulties accessing any of the materials on our site, please contact us so that we can provide an alternative format and remedy any accessibility challenges.
We strongly encourage all instructors to consider accessibility when choosing course materials. For example:
- Are there digital versions available for your requested materials so students can access the content in their preferred modality?
- Are the digital documents you are reserving accessible?
For additional information on how to check if your documents are accessible: https://accessibility.huit.harvard.edu/accessible-documents
We strive to make all digital reserve items accessible. If there are problems with any of these materials, please let us know.
Faculty Guide for Submitting
Submit all course reserves requests directly from your course site in Bb.
Requests for course reserve materials should be submitted at least two weeks before students will need them for class. If the AOK Library does not own an item, or if the item is currently on loan, please allow additional time for ordering and processing.
Electronic Reserves
Before submitting content for ereserves, please review our copyright policy.
Course reserve material in electronic format will become available immediately upon submission, providing they do not require obtaining copyright permission and your course available dates are in effect. For articles and streaming content, we strongly encourage you to use sources to which the library subscribes. Requests that require library staff to scan materials may have a longer turnaround time.
Things you can do to help our staff process reserves faster:
- Enter the complete citation for each request.
- Insert links for articles and ebooks from our databases when possible instead of uploading PDFs.
- Bring us the source we will need to create PDFs (if not currently available on shelf at the library).
- If the item needs to be purchased, provide a link to the item on the publisher's website or Amazon.
Hard Copy Reserves
You may place items from the AOK Library's general collection on course reserves with a loan period ranging from three (3) hours to seven (7) days. Books borrowed from other libraries cannot be placed on course reserves. You may submit requests for items the library does not currently own, and we will try to purchase them to add to our collection. We try to purchase ebooks when available for accessibility.
Things you can do to help our staff process reserves faster:
- Enter the complete citation for each request and include the library call number.
- Deliver personal copies of items soon after submitting your request.
- If the item needs to be purchased, provide a link to the item on the publisher's website or Amazon.
Media Reserves
You may place items from the AOK Library media collection (located on the second floor of the library) on course reserves with a loan period ranging from three (3) hours to seven (7) days. Original copies of media owned by the instructor may be placed on course reserves, but media items borrowed from other libraries or from the UMBC Special Collections cannot.
Things you can do to help our staff process reserves faster:
- Include the library call number (UMDVD#, UMCD#, etc.) when submitting new requests.
- Deliver personal copies of items soon after submitting your request.
- If the item needs to be purchased, provide a link to the item on the publisher's website or Amazon.
For questions about course reserves, please contact reserves-group@umbc.edu or call 410-455-2234.
