Instructors may choose to place books, media, articles, and more onto Course Reserves at the LC State Library. Place materials on reserve so your students can borrow materials for your course for FREE!

More Information

There are two (2) types of course reserves:

  1. Shelf reserves are print copies placed on a shelf behind the library circulation desk.
  2. E-reserves are scanned or linked documents available through the library website.

  • Books (print editions/shelf reserve only)
  • Copies of portions of books
  • Copies of portions of periodicals
  • Articles that are full text in databases to which we can establish links
  • Visual works such as videos, DVDs, or slides
  • Reference materials that have been approved by a librarian

  • Items borrowed from other libraries
  • Books from the Reference Collection
  • Items from the Curriculum Collection

If you want to reserve an article that is full-text online, please include the name of the database and the persistent URL for the article on the course reserves form.

After requesting an item be placed on reserve,

  • Shelf reserve turnaround time is 3-5 business days after we receive the material (M-F, except holidays).
  • E-reserve turnaround time is 3-5 business days after we receive the material (M-F, except holidays).

Materials are placed on reserve in the order that they were received.

The materials placed on reserve by faculty at Lewis-Clark State College must comply with provisions in the United States Copyright Act of 1976, Section 107, and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974.

Under fair use guidelines, faculty and the library are permitted to provide students with access to supplemental materials for coursework.  At LC State, "fair use" of copyrighted material is generally defined as the use of:

  • A single article from an issue of a periodical or newspaper
  • Either 10% or a single chapter from a book
  • Short story, essay, or poem
  • Single graphic representation, e.g., a chart, diagram, cartoon, illustration
  • Legally acquired video or music recording

What if you need to use an item that falls outside of fair use?

It may be possible to get permission from the copyright holder, which the library will be happy to facilitate using the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC). When possible, the library will purchase licensing permission (depending on price) from the CCC.


Quick tips on copyright

  • Fair use does not permit the use of copyrighted materials for classroom use without restriction.
  • In deciding if fair use applies, consider the following characteristics (the majority must weigh toward fair use, not just one):

Purpose and character of the use of copyrighted material (used for non-profit educational use or to create something new, such as a parody)

Nature of the copyrighted work (creative works are more stringently protected than non-fiction)

Amount of work copied (cannot be the "heart" of the work)

Effect upon lost income for the copyright holder

  • Acknowledging the source material is not a substitution for getting permission.
  • Most permissions are granted only for one semester or one school term.

  • Reserve items may be taken out of the library building unless otherwise marked
  • Students may check out only one course reserve item at a time
  • Check-out is one (1), three (3), or seven (7) days, and items may not be renewed
  • Overdue fines are $1.00 per day
  • Only current LC State students may check out course reserve items

After the end of the semester, library staff will remove the item from reserve and return it to the listed professor via campus mail. Of course, you are welcome to stop by the Library Circulation Desk and ask the staff to remove the item from reserve at any time.

Jennifer Cromer, Librarian

(208) 792-2829

[email protected]