Course Reserves

Upcoming Submission Deadlines*

Semester Deadline
Fall 2024 August 12, 2024
Spring 2025 January 2, 2025

*Requests submitted by these deadlines will be ready by the first day of classes. Requests are accepted after these deadlines on a rolling first come, first served basis and will require 3-5 business days for processing

Course Reserve Request Form   


Course Reserves for Students

  • Students must have a valid CWRU ID card in order to check out reserve items.
  • Students may check out one item from course reserves at a time.
  • Overdue fines for reserve materials accumulate at $1.00 an hour.
  • A student wanting to check out an item longer than the assigned loan period must secure permission from the instructor and ask their instructor to contact reserves staff at smithreserve@case.edu to authorize the change.

Browse by Course


Course Reserves for Faculty

For more information, faculty may review the library's full course reserves policy. Information is available regarding accessibility, related services, and Canvas support.

Full Course Reserves Policy


Physical Course Reserves Service

KSL offers physical course reserves for books, DVDs/Blu-ray discs, and CDs. These materials can be sourced from:

  • Within Kelvin Smith Library
  • Other CWRU libraries
  • Personal copies

The library also accepts purchase requests for materials not currently available in the campus’ physical or digital collections. Staff cannot guarantee a purchase.

All course reserves are available for use inside the library. Print materials may be checked out for two hours. Audiovisual materials may be checked out for 3 hours. If adjustments are necessary, faculty may contact course reserves staff directly via smithreserve@case.edu.

Course reserve materials will be located at the Service Desk of Kelvin Smith Library and are only accessible by requesting them at the Service Center desk during Service Center hours.

Requesting Guidelines

  • All submissions are accepted exclusively through the online request form.
  • Instructors may place a maximum of 30 total items on reserve each semester.

Submission Deadlines

Kelvin Smith Library staff provide a recommended submission deadline, two weeks before the first day of classes. Staff strive to ensure that all standard course reserves requests submitted prior to the deadline are ready for the first day of classes, with some exceptions. 

Exceptions:

  • Purchase requests may require additional time for purchasing and shipping. In some cases, the library may need to wait for the item’s release date.
  • Items currently checked out to a borrower will need to be recalled and will require the current patron to return the item to the library before it can be placed on reserve.
  • In order for personal copies to be included, they must be delivered to the library by the submission deadline.
  • Library materials that cannot be found may result in a search and purchase request.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about how to make submissions, please contact KSL course reserves staff at smithreserve@case.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

TAs may fill out the course reserves request form on behalf of instructors, using their own details as the person submitting the request. In the notes field, the professor's name and email can be included along with a note that the requestor is a TA. Reserves staff will communicate directly with the TA regarding the request, but the course will be listed under the instructor's name.

Items requested for purchase generally take 2-3 weeks to acquire. Out-of-print items may take longer.

KSL does not provide services to scan or upload electronic course materials on behalf of instructors. Instructors may upload supplemental materials in digital format directly to their courses in Canvas. For assistance with Canvas, [U]Tech can provide resources for training and support.

Faculty members may submit requests on a first come, first served basis. If another request has been submitted for the same item, the second requestor will be asked to negotiate any terms for sharing that item with the first requestor. Items may be cross-listed for two courses, or removed from one course and added to another at a specified time during the semester.

The option of scanning books and chapters varies on a case-by-case basis.  In some cases scanning selected chapters will be the best solution, however instructors need to obtain their own scans. KSL staff do not provide scans, and can provide basic instructions on using the scanners.  The principle of Fair Use may prevent scanning entire books in some cases.  Research Services Librarians can advise instructors on copyright and Fair Use guidelines. KSL can not always provide access to required course texts.  Instructors may need to have students obtain their own access, which could include borrowing, renting, or purchasing.