Upon occasion, an instructor will ask us to place a book or videotape on reserve that is not owned by the UW Libraries. There is a fairly small fund allocated for purchasing materials for course reserves. So, when this happens, it's time to place an order.

Placing a book order

• Look up the item in OCLC WorldCat or Books in Print to verify citation information. If there are any questions (edition, similar titles, etc.) contact the instructor for clarification.
• Send a message to serials@hslib.washington.edu with a cc to Colleen Weum (weum@u), asking that the item be ordered. Make sure that you include complete information about the item, the course it's needed for and the quarter.
• Make a notation on the reserves list saying that the item was ordered and the date.
• Print 2 copies of the email message. Place one in the file folder for the course and the other in the Outstanding Orders file folder arranged in alphabetical order by title.
• Notify the instructor that the item has been ordered. Also let the instructor know that, while we'll do the best we can, it may take a while for the item to arrive. If it is needed in the meantime, he/she might want to provide a personal copy of the item at his/her own risk or a copy of a chapter to be placed on ereserves.

When the book arrives

When the book arrives, it should be labeled with the course number and the quarter. However, if it isn't, that information is available on the email message in the Outstanding Orders folder.

• Pull the email message from the Outstanding Orders folder.
• Process the item for the course.
• Make a notation that this is complete on the reserves request list in the folder for the course.
• Notify the instructor that the item is now available.

Miscellaneous considerations

• As a general rule of thumb, do not order more than one copy of an item for a class. If the instructor requests more than one copy, you can order two if there are more than 50 students in the class. We seldom order more than two copies of an item for course reserves. Alternatives to multiple copies include:
  • Place one chapter on ereserves. [Note: copyright permission is required after the first quarter or if there is more than one chapter.]
  • Use the book as a textbook if there are many chapters that are needed.
  • Work with the Copyright Permissions Center to include the chapter(s) in a course pak.
• Sometimes instructors want to preview videotapes before ordering them. That can be worked out with Colleen Weum.