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The University of Winnipeg

Course Reserves for Faculty & Instructors

How to Place Materials on Course Reserve

There are two ways to place items on course reserve:

  1. Email your reading list to our time-saving Syllabus Service and have library staff process all items for you.
  2. Submit directly through the ReserveReadings tab of your Nexus course by filling out the format-appropriate form under Add Reserve Items. View our instruction guide on submitting items through ReserveReadings. Note that items submitted this way must be reviewed by staff and will not be immediately available to students.

Faculty and instructors are strongly encouraged to submit all of their readings at once, as this facilitates a faster processing time. 

Activating Course Reserves

Course reserves are accessed through your Nexus course, in the ReserveReadings tab. To expedite processing, please request your Nexus course before submitting your items to course reserve.

In order for your students to see what you have placed on course reserve, you must visit the ReserveReadings tab at least once to activate it. Clicking on the tab and waiting for the page to load is sufficient unless you are using a combined Nexus course (i.e. a single Nexus page for multiple sections or for cross-listed courses).

If you are using a combined Nexus course, you will see a dropdown menu when you click on ReserveReadings. Use the dropdown to select the semester in which your course will run, then click Create Course to complete activation. Staff will not be able to process your course reserves until you complete this step. If using the Syllabus Service, you must also mention that you are using a combined course to ensure your items are uploaded to the correct location.

Print Reserves

Print reserves can be submitted alongside electronic reserves and must be assigned one of the following loan periods:

  • 2 hours
  • 4 hours
  • 1 Day
  • 3 Days

Faculty and instructors may request print reserves for any course, but are encouraged to consider digital alternatives for online classes to ensure equitable access. Contact reserve@uwinnipeg.ca or your subject librarian to inquire about ebook purchases.

In the event of a campus shutdown, the Library will attempt to find digital alternatives for materials placed on print reserve. However, if no alternative is available, students will not have access to these materials for the duration of the shutdown.

Personal Copies

Faculty and instructors may provide a personal copy of an item to place on print reserve or to have staff scan an excerpt for ereserve. Please bring the item to the Circulation Desk in the Library and complete a drop off form. Once scanning is complete, or at the end of the semester, staff will contact you to arrange either pickup or return of your item through interdepartmental mail.

Please submit your item request before bringing a physical copy to the library. The Library treats all personal copies with the same respect and care as library holdings. However, please note that the Library assumes no responsibility for damage to or loss of personal copies.

Processing Time

Processing typically takes 3-5 business days; however, turnaround time increases to 2-3 weeks during the lead up to a new semester. All submissions are reviewed before activation, including items cloned from previous courses. We process items in the order they are submitted and aim to do so as quickly as possible, but please allow sufficient time to address any issues or large request volumes.

Important Dates 

 

Fall/Winter 2023/24

September 5, 2023 - April 25 May 2, 2024

  • Current processing time is 3 - 5 business days.

 

Winter 2024

January 8 - April 25 May 2, 2024

  • Current processing time is 3 - 5 business days.

 

Spring/Summer 2024

May 6 - August 21, 2024

  • Submissions open March 11.
  • Submit two weeks before your class starts to guarantee availability of all items on the first day.

 

Items received less than three weeks before the start of the semester are not guaranteed to be available on the first day of classes. Please contact reserve@uwinnipeg.ca if your students require access to course reserve material outside of the established term dates so we can update the activation period accordingly.  

Frequently Asked Questions

When I try to open the ReserveReadings tab, it keeps asking me to log in but won't let me through. What can I do? 

Please email reserve@uwinnipeg.ca so we can look into the problem. While we work on a solution, you can still access your course reserves by logging in directly to the Ares Course Reserves System with your Nexus username and password. Please note that Safari is known to trigger this issue - try accessing the ReserveReadings tab using Chrome or Firefox while Reserves staff address the issue.

Why should I use course reserves? Can’t I post directly to Nexus?

Faculty and instructors are responsible for ensuring that course materials shared through Nexus meet copyright guidelines. The ReserveReadings tab in your Nexus course is designed to guide you through the copyright clearance process while also making it easy for your students to find print and digital reserves in one place.

In addition, course reserves staff will help locate digital materials in the library catalogue; identify copyright issues and find solutions; create and edit scans of excerpts from print materials; acquire excerpts from items not in the library’s catalogue through interlibrary loan; and turn off downloads on some limited user ebooks, maximizing availability. In short, sharing your required readings through course reserves saves you time, and ensures your students have convenient access to accessible, copyright-compliant material. 

How does copyright apply to course reserves?

The University of Winnipeg Fair Dealing Guidelines determine how much of a copyrighted work (generally, any work that you did not personally create) can be shared in PDF form:

  • 10% or one chapter of a book;
  • One article per issue of a journal;
  • One article or page from a newspaper;
  • One complete artistic work from a larger collection (e.g. a map, painting, chart, etc. in a book);
  • One complete literary work from a larger collection (e.g. a poem or short story in an anthology);
  • One entry from an encyclopedia, dictionary, or other reference work.

Print reserves and weblinks, including links to items in the Library's digital collection, are non-infringing and can be shared in their entirety.

There is of course significant nuance to applying fair dealing guidelines, and a number of options for providing materials in a way that adheres to those guidelines. Course reserves staff can help with identifying both copyright issues and solutions, ensuring your students have access to the materials they need while remaining in compliance with University policy. For more information on copyright, contact the Copyright Office at copyrightoffice@uwinnipeg.ca or visit their webpage.

What kind of materials can I put on course reserve?

Books, DVDs, CDs, and other physical media from the Library's collection may be placed on print reserve. Faculty and instructors may also provide a personal copy of an item to be placed on print reserve. Photocopies are not accepted for print reserve; articles, chapters, and short excerpts may instead be placed on ereserve.

Options for ereserve include:

  • Links to the Library’s digital resources, like ebooks, ejournals, and streaming video.
  • Links to freely accessible websites, like news sites, blogs, YouTube, etc.
  • PDFs scanned from the Library’s print holdings.
  • PDFs received from other institutions through ILL.
  • PDFs scanned from your personal collection (see Can I provide my own scan of a book chapter/article? for more details.) 

Can I provide my own scan of a book chapter/article?

Yes, you can upload a PDF when submitting an item through the ReserveReadings tab or email it to the Syllabus Service along with your reading list. If you don’t already have a scanned copy, you can create one from your personal collection using a personal scanner or a smartphone app like Adobe Scan or Genius Scan. (Please note that you should be aware of any privacy implications of using this software and are responsible for adhering to any applicable terms and conditions.)

Course Reserves staff can edit most PDFs to meet accessibility standards, but please keep the following in mind when creating a scan:

  • Only scan one page at a time – including a full book spread creates problems for screen readers.
  • Scan at the highest resolution you can achieve - we recommend 600 dpi, and no less than 300 dpi.
  • Hold the page flat to avoid warping and shadows.
  • Ensure the text is neither cut-off nor severely angled.
  • It’s better to capture too much than not enough; cropping is easy, but we can’t add material that isn't there.

The closer you adhere to these guidelines when creating a scan, the faster staff are able to process it. Scans that cannot be edited to meet to accessibility guidelines will be rejected – staff will attempt to locate the item and create a new scan, but if we do not have access to it, we will identify the issues and ask you to resubmit.

Alternatively, you can request that reserves staff create scans for you. If the item is not held in our collection, you can temporarily leave your personal copy at the library. Staff will create the scan and return your item through interdepartmental mail, or contact you to arrange pickup 

Can I reuse items that were on reserve in the past?

Yes, as long as it was used in the past two years – older items have been deleted from the server and must be submitted as new items. Please see our instructor manual for directions on importing items from previously taught courses.

My class is one of several sections using the same assigned readings. Do we each have to upload the same materials?

No, you can send one reading list to syllabus-service@uwinnipeg.ca and let us know which classes will be using the materials. Likewise, if you and another instructor plan to use some of the same readings, let us know and we can duplicate materials from one course into another.

How many items can I place on reserve?

We do not currently limit the number of items instructors can place on reserve; however, we request that instructors restrict their submissions to required readings. Suggested or supplemental materials should not be placed on reserve unless there is no other means for students to access the material (e.g. the material is not owned by the Library).  

Is there a file size limit when uploading?

Yes, files submitted through the ReserveReadings tab must be under 28.6MB. Larger files can be emailed to reserve@uwinnipeg.ca for uploading through the staff client.

Why did you replace my PDF with a link?

If the requested material can be accessed through the Library’s collections, we will link to it rather than uploading the PDF, as a link carries no risk of contravening Fair Dealing Guidelines.

Why can’t my students see the materials I have in the ReserveReadings tab?

Due to copyright requirements, ereserves cannot be made available to students outside of the normal class period (i.e. the semester in which the course takes place). If ereserve materials have been fully processed and are ready before the start of term, they will be given the status “Item Activation Pending” and will become automatically available on the first day of classes.

If classes have started and students still cannot see the materials, please contact the Reserves team at reserve@uwinnipeg.ca so we can investigate the issue. Remember to include your course number!

What does the item status mean?

Definitions for common item statuses can be found in the Course Reserves Instructor Manual. 

The material I want to place on reserve isn't available through the Library. Can I place an order for it?

Yes! Contact your subject librarian to request a purchase. If you are only looking for an excerpt, Reserves staff can also try to acquire material through ILL.

Contact

Please include your course code and semester when contacting Reserves for help. 

Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Email: reserve@uwinnipeg.ca

Phone: 204.786.9809

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