Electronic Reserves: Information for Faculty and Instructors
Course Reserves Home
The University of Delaware Library Electronic Reserves service scans paper copies of instructional materials submitted by faculty into PDF format and makes them available to University of Delaware students via DELCAT. Material to be scanned needs to be provided on 8.5" x 11" sheets of paper that can be processed by a scanner with an automatic document feeder.
Faculty and instructors are invited to participate in the University of Delaware Library Electronic Reserves service. A Course Reserve Reading List form in Microsoft Word format, specifically for processing Electronic Reserves material, can be downloaded below. You may submit a completed form and paper copies of materials at the Morris Library Circulation and Reserve Desk or through campus mail. At this time, Reserve staff cannot accept completed forms by email.
Course Reserve staff will confirm receipt of your Electronic Reserves reading list and material via email. Confirmation will include a password, assigned by the library, which you will need to provide to registered students in your course in order for them to access your Electronic Reserves material in DELCAT.
When opening the Electronic Reserves Form from a Morris Library computer, please use the computing site in the Student Multimedia Design Center. Only the computers in the Student Multimedia Design Center computing site have Microsoft Word.
Electronic Reserves Copyright Guidelines
When library staff are reviewing documents submitted for Electronic Reserves they will be considering the four factors of
Fair Use as provided by Copyright Law (Title 17, Section 107):
Below are examples of material that may or may not have problems when placing them on Electronic Reserves:
I. Course materials generally accepted for Electronic Reserves provided they meet other submission criteria:
II. Course materials generally NOT accepted for Electronic Reserves:
III. Copyrighted material submitted for repeated use is subject to the approval of the copyright holder.
Electronic Reserves Submission Deadlines
To assure that Electronic Reserves material will be available by the first week of classes for each semester, please submit your completed Electronic Reserves Reading List form with copies of course materials by the following deadlines:
- Winter Session 2013: Deadline December 3; new lists accepted until February 1.
- Spring Semester 2013: Deadline January 4; new lists accepted until May 14.
- Summer Session 2013: Deadline May 3; new lists accepted until August 9.
- Fall Semester 2013: Deadline July 26; new lists accepted until December 4.
Reserve Forms are processed in order of receipt. Materials received after the deadline typically take a minimum of five working days for processing. Please verify that a Reserve Form has been received and the processing completed before assigning readings. Inquiries can be made by calling the Course Reserve staff at (302) 831-2455.
Submitting Material for Electronic Reserves
Please complete the online Electronic Reserves Reading List form and bring in or mail all material on the list to be placed on Electronic Reserves to the Circulation and Reserve Unit, 103 Morris Library. Electronic Reserves Reading Lists cannot be processed until all course materials listed on the submitted form have been received.
Faculty need to continue to have students purchase textbooks, course reading and other required readings which are necessary for successful completion of assignments. Electronic Reserves is intended to provide supplemental course readings and is not an alternative to purchasing texts.
For more information, contact Derek Dolby, Coordinator, Circulation and Reserve Services at or (302) 831-3122.
When opening the "Electronic Reserves Form" from a Morris Library computer, please use the computing site in the Student Multimedia Design Center. Only the computers in the Student Multimedia Design Center computing site have Microsoft Word.
