Research Guides: Course Reserves: Home

Introduction to Course Reserves

For Students
For Faculty

Find no-cost course materials your instructor placed on reserve through the Library!

Electronic Reserves (e-books, chapters, articles)	Physical Reserves (books, DVDs)
Electronic reserves can be accessed online from anywhere. Find yours by selecting your course code in the left column. Electronic reserves require a password to access. Contact the Library or your professor for this password.	Physical reserves are available to borrow for a short-term loan at the Library Service Desk. Does the Library have your course reserve? Search the Library collection for a specific title or course code (Example: For Writing 101 textbooks, search WRIT-101). To borrow the material, bring the call number and your SMC ID card to the first floor Library Service Desk. Still cannot find the course material you need? We encourage students to: Suggest a purchase for the SMC Library. Please note that submitting a request does not guarantee a purchase. Or: Submit an interlibrary loan request from another library. You may request a physical book or digital scans of specific chapters.

Electronic Reserves

(e-books, chapters, articles)

Physical Reserves

(books, DVDs)

Electronic reserves can be accessed online from anywhere.

Find yours by selecting your course code in the left column.

Electronic reserves require a password to access. Contact the Library or your professor for this password.

Physical reserves are available to borrow for a short-term loan at the Library Service Desk.

Does the Library have your course reserve?

Search the Library collection for a specific title or course code (Example: For Writing 101 textbooks, search WRIT-101).

To borrow the material, bring the call number and your SMC ID card to the first floor Library Service Desk.

Still cannot find the course material you need?

We encourage students to:

Suggest a purchase for the SMC Library. Please note that submitting a request does not guarantee a purchase.

Or:

Submit an interlibrary loan request from another library. You may request a physical book or digital scans of specific chapters.

Questions? Contact the Library during open hours.

Want to save students money while complying with copyright?

The SMC Library encourages faculty to submit a Course Reserve Request for electronic and physical reserves.

Electronic Reserves

Physical Reserves

Articles, scanned book excerpts, streaming media, and other electronic material can be uploaded directly to your Canvas course page for easy student access.

Students will need a password to access. We will supply this to you once your request(s) are ready.

It is the instructor's job to verify requests comply with copyright laws. We ask that you keep in mind these copyright guidelines.

Books, DVDs, and other physical material can be made available for students to borrow for a short-term loan at the Service Desk.

These may be from the Library's collection or the instructor's personal copy.

Questions? Please contact the course reserves manager, Daisy Goiburn, at drg12@stmarys-ca.edu.

If an immediate response is needed, contact the Library during open hours.

Q: Does the Library have my textbook?

A: The Library has a limited number of course textbooks on reserve that are available to borrow for a 2-hour loan at the first floor Service Desk.

To find out if the Library has a particular textbook, use the Library Search box on the homepage to search for the title. You can also search for textbooks in a particular class by using your Course Code (Example: To search for textbooks for Writing 101, search WRIT-101).

If you see that the Library has the textbook you need, write down the call number (example: 658.45 Ec57a) and bring it to the Service Desk with your SMC ID card to borrow the textbook.

If the Library does not have your needed textbook, follow the answer in the question below.

Q: What are my options if the Library does not have my textbook, but I still want to save money on course books?

A: Occasionally, professors have spare copies of a course textbook. We encourage students to ask their professors to place a personal copy of a textbook on course reserve at the Library. This would be made available for students to borrow for a short-term loan at the Library Service Desk.

But let's say a professor is using their copy for the semester. Students still have other options:

You can request the Library to purchase a textbook. It is important to note that submitting a request does not guarantee a purchase. If purchased, it would be added to our Course Reserve Collection and made available for a 2-hour loan at the Library Service Desk.
You can borrow the book from another library by placing an Interlibrary Loan request. The great thing about borrowing a textbook from another library is that you can have it for weeks instead of a short-term loan. Use this route if you would prefer a book for part/most of the course term.

Q: Do faculty provide the Library with a copy of the course material to place on reserve?

A: The Library will place on reserve print, media, or other physical material from a faculty member's personal collection. However, faculty are not required to provide their own copy. You can reserve material from our Library collection.

If you cannot spare your personal copy for an entire semester: The Library will happily scan any needed chapters, upload the scans as e-reserves onto your Canvas course page, then return your personal copy.

Q: How can I save my students money on textbooks?

A: Allow students to use a previous edition. It may have slightly differing page numbers and content, but will be less expensive and more accessible.

Explore Open Educational Resources (OERs): Using e-books, articles, primary sources, or case studies available through the Library providing students with a low or no-cost option rather than a commercial textbook.

Recommend students to a financial aid counselor, High Potential staff, SEAS coach, or the Essential Needs Program. These campus resources may direct students towards funding or low/no-cost options.