Due to UW Financial Transformation, all purchase requests that are not time-sensitive will be held until after the go-live date on July 5th.
While we will continue to attempt to purchase course reserve requests for physical and electronic/streaming materials whenever possible, we may not be able to fulfill requests due to UWFT accounting freezes. If you need assistance identifying alternative course materials, please contact your subject librarian or Research Help. |
Contact Reserve Staff:
- tacres@uw.edu
- 253.692.5748
Textbooks on Reserve
The library proactively purchases all UW Tacoma course textbooks that cost $75 or more listed at the UW Bookstore. Textbooks are shelved in the reserve collection at the circulation desk on the first floor of the TLB. All textbooks purchased through this program are first come first serve, and will checkout for 4 hours at a time.
Keep in Mind:
Each academic quarter we purchase materials and update the catalog daily, even into the first days of classes. Your textbook may be on the way, even if it is not listed in the catalog yet. Library staff tries to purchase every available textbook, but due to purchasing and processing delays not all textbooks arrive in a timely manner. If you want to know if your textbook has been ordered, our reserves staff are always happy to talk to you.
FAQs
All books purchased through the textbook program will check out for 4 hours. Other course reserves requested by your instructor may have different loan periods
If your textbook costs less than $75 it may still be on reserve. Your instructor may request any material be put on reserve that will support your course. Even students can request reserves! Just fill out a request form and we will try to make the textbook available. Please be aware, purchasing a new book for the collection usually takes several weeks, so request early if you want to have a copy on reserve!
You can always ask your instructor if they have a personal copy available to put on course reserve. The TLC also has some copies of current math and science textbooks that can be used while studying or during consultations. TLC copies do not check out.
Your textbook may be available through another library. Find out more about Summit Borrowing and ILL or ask at one of our service desks and we’d be happy to help.
You can always contact us if you want to find out if we have your textbook, or want help finding resources. If you'd like to talk to someone about the textbook program, you can contact Serin Anderson (serin@uw.edu).
For help finding resources, including textbooks and course materials, stop by our Research Help Desk, or contact staff by chat, phone, or email.
The library will make every attempt to purchase all course texts $75 and over; however, some course resources such as online labs or other "course code" materials are designed for individual registration and can't be purchased and made available through the library. If you are uncertain if your textbook will be available, email our reserve staff and we’ll let you know - tacres@uw.edu
Instructor's Guide to Course Reserves
Reserves at UW Libraries
Instructors may request that UW library materials be set aside on reserve and/or provide their own materials to the library for reserve. Once placed on reserve, these materials can be checked out from the UW Tacoma Library’s circulation desk in the TLB Building.
Reserves have short loan periods so that they are accessible to many students. The possible loan periods for reserve materials are:
- 2 hours
- 4 hours
- 4 hours, library use only
- 24 hours (1 day)
- 72 hours (3 days)
There is no deadline for submitting your reserve list, but it is recommended that instructors submit their requests and/or materials as early as possible. Reserve lists are processed in the order in which they are received. The quarter interim and the first two weeks of the quarter are the busiest time for processing reserves, and materials can take up to two weeks to be processed during this period. Submissions at other times can generally be processed within a few working days.
Most circulating UW Library materials can be placed on reserve at the UWT Library. Reserve request forms are available at the circulation desk, but can also be filled out online. UW books can be requested online using the Course Reserves Request Form.
Please note that it can take two weeks or more to acquire library materials for reserve if another user has checked them out. Materials may also be unavailable if they have already been placed on reserve at another library unit.
If the UW Libraries do not have the desired material, subject librarians can assist instructors in ordering a copy. Such orders generally take several weeks to be filled and should be arranged about one quarter before the material is needed.
Instructors can submit their own books and other materials for reserve at the UW Tacoma Library circulation desk.
Some examples of things that can be put on reserve are:
- Personal copies of class textbooks
- Supplemental readings
- DVD/VHS or other media
- Maps
- Scientific kits such as rock samples or other interactive objects
- Art for student review
If there is something not listed that you’d like your class to have access to, just ask our staff, and we are happy to try and find a way to get it on reserve.
When materials are submitted they should be accompanied by a Personal Copy Reserve Form to provide staff with the necessary course and item information.
Barcodes and labels will be applied to non-library reserve materials so they can be checked out. Additionally, reserve materials are often heavily used and the library does not assume responsibility for damage to or loss of instructor materials. These factors should be taken into account before personal materials are submitted.
Reserve Request Forms
- Book Request Form
Use this online form to request UW books for reserve - Media Material Request Form
Use this online form to request UW media materials for reserve - Personal Copy Reserve Form
Submit a copy of this form when providing your own personal books or other personal materials for reserve
Electronic Reserves in Canvas
Electronic Reserves Resources
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Canvas Resources
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FAQs
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Online journals articles or eBooks owned by the UW Libraries. Faculty can link to these as course readings. Faculty do not need to review these items for copyright compliance. Please note that some online resources have a limited number of concurrent users. If you have questions about specific online journals or eBooks, contact your subject librarian.
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Scanned copies of print journals or book chapters owned by the UW Libraries. Faculty can request these through their ILL account. These are subject to copyright compliance. The UW Libraries have a Step-by-Step Guide to Copyright Compliance on our website and you are always free to ask copyright question by contacting Reserve staff at tacres@uw.edu.
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Scanned copies of material not owned by the the UW Libraries. Professors can host any readings they choose in their Canvas page, but unless they are in the public domain those readings are subject to copyright compliance and royalties are generally required. Our Step-by-Step Guide to Copyright Compliance includes information about getting permission from copyright owners. If you have any questions, contact Reserve staff at tacres@uw.edu.
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Faculty will be responsible for uploading their files to their Canvas pages.
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Visit the UWT Office of Digital Learning (ODL) page for additional Canvas setup help.
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Faculty who still need help after viewing the help documentation can contact ODL.
Yes! We have a Step-by-Step Guide to Copyright Compliance on our website and you are always free to ask copyright question by contacting Library staff at tacres@uw.ed.