Electronic Reserves (ERes)

  1. What is ERes?
  2. What are the advantages of the Electronic Reserve System (ERes)?
  3. Who can submit material for ERes?
  4. How do I prepare my materials for submission?
  5. What information does the Reserve Office need in order to process my reserve request?
  6. What types of materials may I place on electronic reserve?
  7. What do I need to know about the processing of Reserve materials?
  8. How long may materials remain on the Electronic Reserve System?
  9. Can I use TU Link from off-campus?
  10. Will there still be a print reserve collection?
  11. How do students gain access to the password-protected materials?
  12. What is the copyright policy regarding Reserve materials?
  13. Who do I contact if I have questions regarding the Electronic Reserve System?

What is ERes?

ERes stands for Electronic Reserves. The ERes system is designed to provide students online access to digitized reserve materials. All documents are scanned in PDF format and require Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing materials. The user may choose to search for reserve items by either the professor’s name or by the four-letter code and course number. After the document is presented on the screen, the user has the option of reading it online, downloading it, or printing one copy. Due to copyright regulations, access to ERes materials is limited by password protection.



What are the advantages of the ERes?

For Students

  • Easier access to reserve readings both on and off campus: All networked computers within the University Libraries and the Computer Labs can access ERes. Single copies of each item or selected pages can be printed. Students can access ERes from home, too.
  • Twenty-four hour simultaneous access available: More than one student can read the same article, or consult the same file, at the same time. Access is not limited to the number of physical copies or by the hours of library operation.
  • Multiple formats for reserve materials: Students may read materials online, download or print the file or selected pages.

For Faculty

  • Wider access to reserve materials: No matter how large the class, all students may access the material in a timely fashion. Students will no longer have to compete with each other for one or two print copies that are available in the library.
  • Less work for professors and their assistants: professors may submit materials electronically without having to physically come to the library.
  • Better feedback on usage: At the end of each semester, the Reserves staff can provide faculty with a report for each class showing the usage of course reserve items in ERes.


Who can submit material for ERes?

Any member of the faculty, staff or graduate assistant at Tulane University, who is teaching a class or conducting a seminar, may ask that their materials be placed on electronic reserve. An online request form is available



How do I prepare my materials for submission?

Complete a Howard-Tilton Memorial Library Reserve Request form and send it along with a note requesting to participate in the Electronic Reserves System.



What information does the Reserve Office need in order to process my reserve request?

The information requested on the Library Reserve Request form is required regardless of the manner of transmission of materials.

A complete bibliographic citation is required for each photocopy to be placed on Reserve. Reserve materials submitted without proper bibliographic information will be returned, unprocessed, to the faculty member.



What types of materials may I place on ERes?

Photocopied materials may be submitted for electronic reserve with the exception of any materials for which permission to mount on electronic reserves has been denied by the copyright holder.

Due to file sizes and copyright restrictions, entire books or journal issues may NOT be added to electronic reserves. Library staff will remove books and entire journals placed on electronic reserve.



How long does it take to process Reserve materials?


Reserves Process Chart

Submit materials on: Available electronically:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 48 hours from submission
Friday, Saturday, Sunday Monday, 5:00 pm

Due to the turnover time required for electronic reserves, it is wise to submit materials well in advance.

Due to increased use at the beginning of each semester, materials may take up to a week to be processed.



When should I submit my Reserve materials?

Reserve materials may be submitted at any time. However, for Electronic Reserves, please submit your materials as early as possible.

All reserve materials submitted one week prior to the first day of classes will be processed by the first day of classes.

The library will keep the original paper copy on file for backup purposes until the end of the semester, when they will be returned via campus mail.

Note: it may take longer than 48 hours for items longer than 20 pages to be made available, and most items will be put into image format rather than scanned using OCR software.



How long may materials remain on ERes?

Currently, we interpret Fair Use to mean that materials may be mounted one semester while copyright permission is requested. If, however, permission is denied, the material will be removed from electronic format.

Materials protected under federal copyright law may remain on the Electronic Reserve System for one semester. If materials are needed for more than one consecutive semester, copyright permission must be obtained from the publisher. It is the responsibility of the faculty member to obtain copyright permission. If materials are not needed for consecutive semesters, their use falls under the fair-use provision of the copyright law.

Professor-generated materials such as exam files, notes, quiz files, course syllabi, and outlines remain on electronic reserve at the discretion of the instructor of the course.



Is there still a print reserve collection?

Yes, there is a print reserve collection. However, it will be limited to entire works which cannot be included in electronic reserves due to copyright restrictions and other considerations. Therefore the print reserve collection will be comprised of only complete books from within the library collection or personal copies provided by professors.



How do students gain access to the password-protected materials?

Access to Electronic Reserve materials is be limited by password protecting the course page. All copyright protected material must be password protected. Instructors will select and provide a password to students in each of their courses; this will limit the use of copyrighted materials to those students enrolled in the class.

Please Note: This password should be different from the instructor's own administrative password, to protect the integrity of the instructor's course materials, since the instructor's password allows the archiving or deletion of materials.



What is the copyright policy regarding Reserve materials?

The Library will accept one copy of materials meeting "Fair Use" guidelines. Examples include an article from a journal or newspaper; chapter from a book, a short story, essay or poem; a chart or graph, diagram, drawing, cartoon, or picture from a book, periodical, journal, or newspaper, for reserve.

"Fair Use" (no copyright permission required) includes non-copyrighted materials such as:

  • Course materials owned by the instructor, including exams, lecture notes, and syllabi.
  • United States Government documents.

"Fair Use" also includes copyrighted material, such as:

  • 10% of a single book.
  • One article from a single issue of a journal.

"Fair Use" in a reserve operation states that the first time an item is used by an instructor, for a particular class it falls under the "fair use" provisions of the copyright laws, whether on paper or electronic format. Permission, however, must be obtained from the publisher before any subsequent use.

Instructors will need to ensure that copyrighted materials remain on reserve for a limit of one semester, or ask the Library to seek copyright permission from publishers for more terms. If the principles of Fair Use do not apply, and if the materials are not part of the collection, the Library will obtain copyright permission and pay reasonable copyright fees for Reserve materials.

Only students enrolled in a course may access the copyrighted materials on reserve for that specific course; instructors must supply a password to class members for access. The reserve system we have chosen automatically allows for password protection to course material.

Longer works, such as complete books or journal issues, will not be scanned for the reserve system due to file size and copyright protection. Other items that should not be used without obtaining copyright permission from the publisher include: workbooks or standardized test booklets, pre-printed course packs, and items duplicated from the internet that are assumed to be under copyright protection.

A copyright notice will be displayed on each course web page. This notice is already part of the ERes system and is automatic for all course web pages.



Who do I contact if I have questions regarding ERes?

Please email us at alkemp@tulane.edu or call 314-7783.