Course Reserves

Professor Gbeton Somasse teaching a course in Social Science and Policy Studies

The library has an expanded course reserves service that includes providing print reserves, a list of digital course materials for classes, identifying alternative library or open content, and providing access to scanning equipment.

For more information, please see our online guide to course reserves, and contact our course reserves team at lib-reserve@wpi.edu.


Faculty can use library resources in their classes by linking to eBooks or eJournals through their Canvas site.

Please note that the rush for course reserves occurs at the beginning of each term. The earlier you get your "reserve lists" to the library staff, the sooner your materials will be available. 

Course Reserves
What materials can't be reserved?

There are materials that we can't accept for reserve, including: course packs; consumable works such as workbooks, exercises, tests, answer sheets, etc.; and materials that belong to other institutions.

How to place materials on reserve

Faculty can place materials on reserve for their courses Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Materials received after these times will not be available for use until the next business day. Items must include the course instructor's name, course number, and the title that students will be requesting (homework, class notes, etc.) please use the Course Reserve Request Form. Items can be placed on reserve for more than one term.

Use policies for course reserve materials

Course reserve materials are intended for in-library use for three hours. At the end of three hours, the item may be charged out again for three more hours if no one else has requested it. Instructors may request other circulation periods.

Library reserve materials that normally circulate may be charged out overnight. These items may be taken out 30 minutes before closing and are due back one hour after opening the next day. To block this status, please alert the circulation staff.

Personal items (books, photocopies, etc.) are not available for overnight sign-out without the instructor's permission.

All overdue course reserve materials are fined at a rate of 10¢ per minute.

To reserve books owned by the library, you can use the easy online faculty course reserve request.

Personal materials will be accepted for reserve; however, the library cannot assume responsibility for items that disappear from the reserve shelf.

Copyright info

It is your responsibility to understand copyright laws and, if necessary, to secure copyright permissions. Consult the Educational Materials section on the Gordon Library's copyright guide to determine if you can re-use a resource in your own class; on the guide, you can also find how to request permission, if necessary. Contact a librarian if you need help tracking down contact details for publishers.

All photocopies must contain a complete citation and copyright information. Photocopies must be bound, either in a manila folder or a loose-leaf binder. A folder or binder must be provided for each copy of an item to be placed on reserve, but please bring your own because the library doesn't supply them.