University of Nebraska at Omaha
help: frequently asked questions -- faculty reserves.
How can I contact the reserve staff?
Reserve staff can be reached at 554-2861. Reserve questions can also be directed to reserves through e-mail.
What is the difference between traditional and electronic reserves?
Traditional reserves are photocopies of articles/book chapters, books (personal copies and library copies) and any material that a professor wants to make available to students. These materials are held behind the circulation desk and can be checked out by the student for 2 hours, 4 hours, 1 day, 3 days or 7 days. The checkout period is decided upon by the professor when the materials are submitted.
Electronic reserves are sound recordings, journal articles or book chapters that have been scanned and placed on the Electronic Reserves website for students to access. Readings may be accessed by the students 24 hours a day/7 days a week from any computer with internet access. Readings may be browsed online or printed.
What types of material can be placed on Electronic Reserve?
Materials to be placed on electronic reserve can include readings from books, magazines and websites provided they comply with copyright law. Photographs can be posted to electronic reserve but the download time for dial-up users can be 30 minutes or more. Class materials including syllabus, class notes, reviews, quizzes, and tests may be posted. The library is also able to post audio files of music or class lectures in a listen only format.
Where do I get the form needed to submit material?
You can get the form at the Circulation Desk in the library or print the form from the library Web site. You may also make an electronic request from the library website.
When can I submit materials for reserve?
Material can be submitted at any time. The earlier material is submitted, the better in case any items require seeking copyright permission.
What is a coursepack and why can't I place it on traditional reserve?
A coursepack is typically a collection of articles (even chapters of books) that a professor has obtained reprint permission from each article author or publisher. The coursepack is then "published" into a bound collection and is resold to the students. Due to copyright restrictions, we cannot accept coursepacks as reserve items.
What does the library need to post materials to electronic reserve?
Library reserve staff needs a clean 8 1/2 x 11 photocopy of the material the first time it is used. The library can do photocopying but charges .10 per page. Materials being submitted for electronic reserve must be accompanied by a signed request form with complete bibliographic citations for each item being posted. The form can be downloaded by going here. Once material has been scanned the material is archived. If the material is used again at a later date it can be recalled without being scanned again.
How long does it take to process materials submitted for electronic reserves?
Electronic reserve materials will take 2 business days to process. During the first three weeks of the fall and spring semesters, we receive the most requests, so processing time for materials increases to 5 business days. Please submit all requests as early as possible.
When does the library need to get copyright permission for materials?
Library staff will attempt to obtain copyright permission on any material submitted. Materials will not be posted to electronic reserve unless they comply with copyright law. The general rules for copyright permission are as follows. Fair use allows a one time posting of materials as long as they comprise less than 10% of an entire work, one article from an issue of a journal, or 1 poem under 250 words. Copyright permission is not always granted by the copyright holder and can take up to 3 weeks in some cases to get a reply. Please take this into consideration when submitting materials.
Where can I go to get more information on copyright?
More detailed information about copyright can be found at http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ21.pdf.
How do I know when my materials are available for students to read?
Materials may be processed before a semester begins, but they cannot be posted and made available to the students until the first day of the semester. When your materials have been processed, you will receive an email with instructions on how to access the materials. These instructions may include a password; this password MUST be given to your students. Notification emails from the library may be posted to Blackboard or the information may be included in your syllabus.
My document is sideways, do I have to try to read it that way?
On the Adobe toolbar, press the rotate button to change the direction of the words.
The print is small when I try to read from Acrobat Reader. Do I have to print it in order to read it?
Press the zoom button on the Adobe toolbar to zoom in and make the text larger.
When I try to print from Acrobat the page comes out blank. What should I do?
Try pressing the print button from the Adobe toolbar instead of the web browser print button.
Why do my students need their ID and barcode number to access some of the documents?
Some of the files in Electronic Reserves are links to subscription databases, with licenses restricting use to people affiliated with UNO. In order to access the databases from off campus, you have to have a current account at the library.
Why does it take so long to open some of the documents?
Download time is dependant on the size of the document and the type of connection your computer is using. Dial-up users take longer to download a document than cable or DSL users. We try to keep files to a manageable size with downloads for dial up users being under 2 minutes; to do this we may break larger documents into parts. Articles that contain photographs increase a document's size and can increase download time significantly. If a photograph is not important, the reserve staff can crop it out of the scan and decrease download size. If it is taking too long to download from a dialup connection, students may come into the library and download the file using library computers.
Can I get statistics on how often my materials are being accessed?
Yes. As part of our reserve service, reserve staff will provide you with statistics on the use of your reserve materials and a summary of copyright clearance fees paid on your behalf at the end of each semester.
Why am I being asked to provide a syllabus?
The library has had a long-standing policy to include a class syllabus for the following reasons:
What is a Reserve Statement of Use and when should I use it instead of submitting a syllabus?
The Reserve Statement of Use is available for faculty who have incomplete syllabi, concerns about sharing their class syllabi with the library or are requesting reserve service for personal copies only. However, a syllabus is still required for those courses that have materials that require copyright clearance fees.
Do I have to secure and pay copyright permission for my reserve materials?
No. Reserve Services will secure and pay for any copyright permissions needed for your class materials. For more information, see the Copyright Clearance Fee Policy.
