Instructors sometimes ask what the advantages are to using the eReserves aspect of the Course Reserves service instead of using course packs, or instead of putting readings or links directly into UW-ACE.
There are four points to consider when making a decision on which service to use:
A survey done by the Library several years ago found that approximately 50% of students prefer to access course materials online and the other 50% prefer course packs.
One of the main reasons cited for accessing materials online is the reduced use of paper. Other reasons are: no cost to the student and availability from anywhere.
For students who prefer paper, course packs are much easier than printing eReserves or materials in UW-ACE.
For instructors who want to provide electronic access to journal articles, using eReserves instead of putting links to articles directly into UW-ACE has the following advantages:
For instructors who want to take advantage of these eReserves services but are also using UW-ACE, the Course Reserves service includes easy installation of a nugget into your course Home or Resources page in UW-ACE. The nugget displays all the readings that are available through Course Reserves, both paper and electronic.
Both Courseware and Course Reserves handle copyright clearances on your behalf:
Course packs
For a majority of publishers, copyright clearance may be automatic under the terms of the Access Copyright licence, and Graphics reports usage to Access Copyright as part of creating the course pack.
eReserves
Permission must be requested in advance from Access Copyright or from publishers to make an electronic copy available of copyrighted readings that you have in paper. This process can take from 1 – 8 weeks.
If you prefer to post your reading directly to UW-ACE and it includes copyrighted material, then you will need to satisfy the test of “Fair Dealing” before you can determine whether you can proceed. Consult the copyright Guide to Fair Dealing for more information.
If your reading is an article from one of the Library’s databases, in many cases the Library’s licence agreement explicitly allows you to place a PDF copy on your course site in UW-ACE. See the Copyright FAQ for more information on copyright.
When eReserves are used in place of course packs there is no cost to the student, however there is often a cost to the Library to purchase digital rights.
This is a service that the Library supports as part of our business of acquiring information to meet the needs of students and faculty.
Occasionally the cost of a permission may be very large, or the overall cost to the Library for a course may be extremely high for a relatively small number of students. As staff in the Course Reserves service discover these issues they explore with the instructor the options that are available, to arrive at a best fit for their course.
For more information, contact:
Head, Circulation Services
Ext. 35326
University of Waterloo Library
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
519 888 4883
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