• For all reserve requests, first check our Copyright Guidelines to ensure the reserve item will comply with copyright laws. To submit your request, please fill out the Request Form online. If the item(s) to be placed on reserve is a personal copy, please deliver the copy to the library as soon as possible after submitting the request form.
• After approval, materials will be placed on course reserve starting on the first day of the semester and will be removed from course reserve on the last day of the term. Please allow three (3) business days for processing all reserve requests.
• Personal materials should include the owner's name and contact information on the inside cover. Reserve stickers and barcodes will be affixed to all materials on course reserve. While we always try to take the very best care of your personal materials, in some cases the removal of these stickers and barcodes may cause damage to those materials.
• All reserve item requests must be submitted for each term, regardless of whether or not the item has been on reserve for past terms.
• E-Reserves are electronic materials (PDFs of articles, book chapters, sample texts, etc.) placed on reserve for a specific course. In order to comply with copyright laws, all e-reserves will be placed on Blackboard for student access.
• The library is not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged personal materials.

Questions? Contact Course Reserve Specialist

Where can I check out items that are on reserve? 

Any item that is placed on reserve is located at the USC Upstate Library Circulation Desk and must be checked out with a valid Carolina Card.

How long can I keep checked out items?

Check out terms vary from library use only up to one week. Check the current course reserve lists for specific check out terms.

Can course reserve items be renewed?

Course reserves have no renewal options and no grace period. The late fine is $5 per item, per day.

My professor says something is on reserve, but I don't see it on the lists.

The item may be in process. Email us or call the Circulation Desk at 864-503-5611 for the most current information on items that are not on the lists.

What kind of items can be placed on reserve?

Books, DVDs, CDs, study guides, and other similar items may be placed on reserve at the library. All items must be either owned by the library or a personal copy. Other items that may be accessed electronically can be put on e-reserve on Blackboard, like articles or book chapters. All reserve items are subject to copyright compliance review.

How long are books kept on reserve?

All reserve materials are taken off reserve at the end of each academic term and either returned to the library stacks or, if a personal item, to their owner. A new reserve request form must be submitted for each term.

U.S. copyright laws (17 U.S.C.) prohibit the unauthorized reproduction and/or distribution, in part or in whole, of any copyrighted publication. However, professional educators are granted a little flexibility in this area due to the "Fair Use" agreement (H.R. Rep. No. 94-1733, 94th Cong., 2d Sess., September 29, 1976).

All items placed on reserve at the USC Upstate Library must be either owned by the university or the instructor.

Most copyright issues arise with regard to e-reserves. Use the questions below to quickly identify whether or not your requested item(s) complies with copyright rules and may be placed on reserve or e-reserve.

•  Is the original source either owned by USC Upstate or your personal property?
•  Is the selection a small amount of the whole publication? A general rule of thumb is to use no more than 10% of a book with no chapters or fewer than 10 chapters, or for a book of 10 or more chapters, 1 chapter. If you are using pages from several different chapters, look at the average number of pages per chapter in the book and limit your excerpts to no more pages than that average.
•  Is the selection intended for use in only one course? (Use in multiple sections of one course is permissible.)
•  Is this the first time this particular selection has ever been requested for e-reserve?
•  Is the selection from a non-consumable source? (Consumables are workbooks, standardized tests, answer sheets, etc. and are specifically prohibited from unauthorized reproduction.)

If you answered Yes to all the questions above, then your selection is probably in accordance with U.S. copyright laws and Fair Use agreement guidelines and therefore eligible for e-reserve. (If you answered No to any of the questions above, please contact our Course Reserve Specialist for more information on U.S. copyright laws, the Fair Use agreement, and e-reserve eligibility.)

If the item an instructor wants to use does not comply with the copyright restrictions and is rejected for placement on reserve without clearance from the publisher, the responsibility of obtaining clearance is the responsibility of the instructor, not the library or its staff. Proof of copyright clearance, once obtained, must be provided to the Course Reserve Specialist before the item may be processed for course reserves.

A more in depth Fair Use checklist has been developed by the University System of Georgia's Board of Regents and can be very useful for determining the strength of a Fair Use claim. Find that checklist here.

eReserve is a way to put library items, such as journal articles or book chapters, on digital reserve with appropriate copyright protections in place. 

In order to comply with copyright law, all eReserves will be placed on Blackboard in a course-specific folder within the Content Collection. Every course in the USC System has a Blackboard shell and corresponding Content Collection folder, whether or not the shell and folder are utilized by faculty.

Please fill out the Course Reserves Request Form for all eReserve items and allow three business days for processing. 

After a request is placed and processed, faculty must link to the item(s) within Blackboard. The course reserves specialist will send an email to faculty when materials are ready for linking with the course-specific search information needed. For help locating and linking to item(s) from the Content Collection, please contact the Course Reserves Specialist.