Course reserves

The course reserves service allows instructors to set aside (or “reserve”) course materials for the short-term use of their students.

Course reserves
The Library offers a physical course reserve service along with a digital course reserves service (PDFs, ebooks, streaming videos, scanned documents, etc.) Print reserve items are also available for scan on demand (subject to fair dealing guidelines). Alternatively, an item can be requested from another library, should it be available.

Digital reserve materials (Ares system)

Ares, the Library's course reserve platform, provides a single point of access for all course materials; it can be accessed directly and, if the option is activated, through Virtual Campus as well.

Access your course reserve materials

There are two ways to access your course reserve materials:

  1. Log in directly to Ares: Enter your uoAccess ID, which is the short name before your @uOttawa.ca email address (e.g.: jsmith), and password.

    • If you need help with your uoAccess credentials, contact Information Technology online or by telephone at (613) 562-5800 ext. 5000.

  2. Access your reading list in Ares through Virtual Campus (if your instructor has activated Ares).

How to view your course reserves material

  1. Select a course from the main menu.

  2. Select an item from the reading list by clicking on the title.

    • Digital reserve items can be viewed by selecting View this item. A link to the material, or, alternately the PDF can then be viewed.

    • For physical materials available on reserve, the call number and pick up location is listed in the item record. (See "Physical Reserve Materials".)

Tips for Ares

  • Under class details for each course you have the option of subscribing to email notifications by adding your email address. Once an item is processed and available you will receive an email.

  • Create a list of favourites that you will use often and it will always appear in the main menu.

  • Assign personal tags to organize or group your readings.

Information for professors

Professors can set aside course materials for the short-term use by students.

What are the benefits of the course reserve service?

Less work for instructors

  • Course Reserve staff will locate the materials listed in a syllabus and make them available via the reserve platform

  • Course Reserve staff will manage the delicate and time-consuming application of copyright and licensing agreements

Lower costs for students

  • Reduces costs by maximizing the use of openly available materials and the Library’s own collections

Easy access

  • 24/7 remote access – ideal for students working off-campus
  • Multiple concurrent users (with the exceptions of some e-books)
  • Accessible from Virtual Campus (once Ares has been activated)

Convenient tools

  • Cross-list your readings with another course you’re teaching
  • Create tags to organize your readings (ex. “week 1”, week 2”, etc.)
  • Review item usage to see how often students are accessing material

How to place materials on reserve

  1. Before preparing your request, please verify the Submission Deadlines in the FAQ below.

  2. To request that course materials be placed on reserve, simply email your course syllabus or reading list to [email protected]. The reserve service staff will then process your request.

    • Note that providing a full bibliographic citation for each item in your syllabus or reading list will speed up the processing of course materials; please consult the FAQ below for the necessary information.

    • Please notify staff if you have scanned materials you wish to include in the course.

  3. Once your request has been processed, any materials placed on reserve will be available to your students via Ares. You may also integrate your list of readings in Ares into Virtual Campus.

Contact us

For assistance with course reserves, please contact [email protected].

FAQ

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