Course Reserves

Faculty see Guidelines for Placing Materials on Reserve

What Are Course Reserves?

When your instructor wants everyone in the class to read the same items for a particular course, the instructor might put the items "on reserve" in one of the campus libraries during the semester that the course is taught. Reserve items are placed behind a desk and are given shorter check-out periods than other books so that everyone in the class gets a chance to use them.

Items placed on reserve can include books, study guides, answer keys, magazine and newspaper articles, copies of past exams, or just about anything else your instructor wants everyone to read or use. You'll even find collections of rocks on reserve for Geology classes.

In addition, headphones are available at the Doyle Library Reserve Desk and the Mahoney Library Circulation Desk for use with class related media and web pages.

The Library does not generally buy textbooks, but in many cases, instructors have lent us their own extra copies of the class textbooks or they have requested that the Library buy the textbook for a specific course. To find out if the textbook for your class is on reserve in one of the campus libraries, check the Library's catalog. (See instructions below.)

How Can I Tell Which Materials are on Reserve for My Class?

Check the Library catalog: On the Library's home page, look in the first column under "Research," and click "Find Books." When you are connected to the Library catalog, click the tab labeled "Course Reserves." Then pull down the menu next to the word "Course" and select the number for your course to see a list of the books, articles and other materials which your instructor has placed on reserve for your class. (If you don't know the course number for your class, you can also search by instructor's last name.)

The entry for each book or article in the Course Reserves catalog will tell you 1) which of the campus libraries (Doyle at Santa Rosa or Mahoney at Petaluma) has the book on reserve, 2) what the call number for each book is and 3) whether the book or article is currently available or not. Write down the call number(s) for items which you need, and take them to the Reserve Desk.

Where Is the Reserve Desk?

The Doyle Library Reserve Desk is on the fourth floor.

The Mahoney Library reserve items are kept at the Circulation Desk near the entrance to the front doors of the library.

How Long Can Reserve Items Be Checked Out?

Many reserve materials are designated two-hour "library use only," which means that they can only be used inside the library buildings (2nd, 3rd & 4th floors only in Doyle Library). Others might be available for a four-hour or sometimes 1-day or 3-day checkout. Your instructor decides how long the materials can be used and whether they must be used inside the libraries.

Reserve items may be checked out up to three times in a row if no one else is waiting for them. After that, you may not check them out again for 1-2 days in order to give others a chance to use them.

Reserve materials are typically in high demand and may not be held or reserved for an individual student. If an item is checked out to another student at the time you request it and you want to be the next student allowed to use it, you'll need to check back at the desk at frequent intervals in case the item you need is returned early.

Fines for Overdue Reserve Materials

Reserve materials must be returned to the desk from which they were checked out. Because these materials are typically in high demand, materials which are not returned on time, will accrue overdue fines which are higher than those for other library books:

• 2-hour and 4-hour items: $1 per hour per item, up to $5 per day per item
• 1-day and 3-day items: $2.50 per day per item. Fines accumulate daily up to replacement cost of items