Reserve Information : Faculty

New Service!-- Submit your reserve requests online

General Information

How to Place Personal Copies on Reserve

How to Place Library Items on Reserve

How to Remove an Item from Reserve

Contact the Reserve Coordinator

General Information

Faculty may place materials on reserve for the use of students enrolled in their classes. Material on reserve is shelved in closed stacks behind the circulation desk and is usually limited to 2-hour in-library loans. Items from the library collection as well as personal materials such as course handouts, lecture notes, journal articles, or sample exams may be designated for reserve.

How to Place Personal Copies on Reserve

  • Check your reserves online first. Go to the library catalog.  Select "Reserve Lists" from the main menu and search by your name or the course number. You can access lists of everything on reserve under your name   These are the same lists the students will look up to get the items. Please check your reserves before bringing down something new in order to prevent confusion or duplicate reserves.You may remove older versions at any time, including when you bring in new materials for reserves; see how to remove an item from reserve below.
  • Bring the item down to the library and fill out a Reserve Request Form (See below for sample form).
  • Leave the item with circulation desk staff. The Reserve Coordinator will place the item on reserve.  At the beginning of each semester items may take up to 1 week to be processed, so please bring them down as soon as possible.  If there are any problems with your reserve item the coordinator will contact you. We will make every effort to ensure the best possible security for reserve material that is the personal property of faculty members, but cannot assume responsibility for lost or damaged items.

How to Place Library Items on Reserve

  • Look up the book in the library catalog. The library does not put items from the Reference section of any library on reserve.  Reference books may not be taken out of the library.
  • Retrieve the book from its library.
    • If a book is at another BU library:
      • If it is available: please check it out with your ID and bring it to PERL.  We will check the book in before putting it on reserve. 
      • If it is checked out: please follow that library's procedures for placing a recall on an item.  (At Mugar, for example, you must get a recall form from the circulation desk).
    • If a book is at PERL:
      • If it is available: please retrieve the book from its shelf.
      • If it is checked out: please place a recall on the item.  You can do this at the circulation desk in the library. It can take up to 2-3 weeks for a recalled book to be returned.
  • Fill out a Reserve Request Form. In addition to the information needed for a non-library item, make sure you fill in the Call # section of the form, and circle Library Copy.
  • Leave the item with circulation desk staff.

How to Remove Items from Reserve

  • Look up the item in the library catalog.
  • Fill out a Reserve Request Form. Circle DELETE at the top of the form, and include the title (given in the catalog) and the call number.
  • Give the form to circulation desk staff. The Reserves Coordinator will take the item off of reserve, and notify you by phone or email when you can come to the library to pick up the item. Do not remove reserve items without filling out a form.  This can cause confusion to students who see that an item is in the library catalog but not on the shelf.  If you'd like to take the item for longer than the designated check out time, please let circulation desk staff know.  Professors can check out their own reserve items for an extended period of time. 

Sample Form

RESERVE REQUEST FORM

Boston University Educational Resources Library   

Please print legibly

Instructor: Last: ____________________________  
  
                  First: ____________________________

Course Number (s) __________________________

Office Phone _______________________________

Email _____________________________________

Add: ______ Delete: ______ Modify: ______

Loan Period : (choose only one)

2 Hour _________ 2 Hour / Overnight ________

1 Day _______ 3 Days _______ 1 Week ________

Semester (s) needed : Academic Year _______

Fall _____ Spring _____ Sum1_____ Sum2_____

OR Permanent Reserve ________

Author

Title

Number of Copies

Call # (please note if personal copy)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If there are additional titles for the same course, please print the title and author on the back of this form.

printer icon   Printable Reserve Request Form

These forms are available at the circulation desk in the library.  Feel free to take one and make copies for future reserve items.  Use these forms if you would also like to take something off of reserve, or to change an item already on reserve.

Title/Author of the reserve item:

Books:  fill in the book's title and author (making a note of the edition if that will be important for the students)

Binders:  use a title that your students will be able to recognize (e.g. ED100 Readings), author is not required

Articles:  Fill in the title and author, making sure it matches up with notations on the syllabus

It is important that you assign a title to each reserve item.  With most items it is difficult for library staff to determine what is the best title for each item; please make sure the title matches the information on the course syllabus.

Course number and instructor: Please put the full name of the professor in the instructor section.  If a course record is not already in our system we will create one with this form, so it is important that the information is accurate.

Number of copies:  You can place multiple copies of one item on reserve; this allows access to the reserve to more than one student.  Note that the library does not make copies to be put on reserve; please supply any multiples required.

Item type:  Circle Personal Copy unless it is a book from one of BU's libraries. (See how to place a library item on reserve).

Loan period

Two hours only. Does not go out overnight; loan period two hours. If checked out less than two hours before closing, item is due at closing.

Two hour/ overnight. May leave the library overnight; loan period two hours. If checked out less than two hours before closing, item is due within one hour after the library opens the next day. (On Saturdays, the item is due one hour after opening on Monday). 

1 Day Loan. Due back in one day. There is no specific time the material is due.

3 Day Loan. Due back in three days. There is no specific time the material is due.

7 Day Loan. Due back in seven days. There is no specific time the material is due.

These are the ONLY loan periods available in our computer system. 

Contact the Reserve Coordinator

Sean Giere (sgie@bu.edu)
Reserve Coordinator
(617) 353-3734

2 Sherborn Street  |  Boston, MA  |  02215  |  617-353-3734  |  Boston University