USC Libraries Course Reserves provides a single point access for instructors and students to post and organized course content available from the Libraries' physical and electronic collections, databases, and resources. Electronic reserves can include articles from journals or periodicals, book chapters, and any other content that meets our copyright guidelines.
Instructors can:
- Create a course that centralizes their physical and electronic reserves access for students.
- Submit physical reserve requests (book, personal book copies, DVDs, etc.) for their course(s).
- Submit electronic reserve requests for articles, book chapters, and other materials from library resources
- Upload their own or existing articles, book chapters, and other documents for their course(s). Please note that the title and copyright pages must be included in an uploaded article or book chapter whenever possible.
- Clone (copy) a class from a previous semester or year and re-post reserve items without having to resubmit individual requests the following semester.
Link to USC Libraries e-resources, databases, or other online content.
Since we experience a high volume of requests at the beginning of each semester, please note the following in preparation of your course reserves planning:
- If an electronic reserve (article, book chapter) is requested but not supplied/uploaded, the item will be automatically obtained through Scan & Deliver and will be posted to your course. Turnaround time is usually 24-48 hours.
- Electronic reserve requests submitted by the instructor as a photocopy to be scanned and posted will be processed within 2-3 working days.
- Electronic reserve requests that do not meet Copyright Guidelines & Rules, may be delayed until any such issues are communicated and resolved.
Electronic reserve items uploaded by the instructor, including articles and/or book chapters in PDF format, Word Documents, or syllabi, will be reviewed by Course Reserves staff to ensure that the material posted meets Copyright Guidelines & Rules.
Instructors can check the status of a request logging into Course Reserves, clicking on their course, and viewing the far-right column under "Status". Statuses include:
- Awaiting Reserves Processing. Request has been submitted and is pending review by staff.
- Awaiting Supply by Instructor. Request has been submitted, such as a personal copy of a physical item, and is pending receipt and processing by Course Reserves staff.
- Awaiting ILLiad Fulfillment. Request has been submitted and is being pulled from the library shelves or processed through interlibrary loan.
- Awaiting Scanning. Request has been submitted and is in the process of being scanned.
- Item Activation Pending. Item is pending start of the semester date as configured in the system. If an instructor needs a course to be activated before the official USC semester start date, please contact us.
Item Available on Electronic Reserves. Request has been posted and is accessible. If link to item is not working, please contact IDD as soon as possible.
Streaming Media Requests
Streaming content for feature films and documentaries is available through Course Reserves by submitting requests through the Streaming Video (if available) form on your Course Reserves page. If USC owns streaming rights a link will be posted in the course for access. If USC does not own access to the content, the request will be submitted to our Acquisitions Department who will determine if available for purchase or academic use licensing.
If not available, we can search, upon request, our DVD and Blu-ray collection and, with the instructor's permission, place on physical reserve at Leavey Library.
Please note that USC is not able to license media content that is exclusive to streaming providers such as Netflix, Amazon Prime. Disney+, or others at this time. However, since the streaming business is ever-changing, we will provide updates to requested content that become available for academic use as requests are resubmitted from one semester to another. For example, a title exclusive to a streamer might not be available now, but that could change in a year or two when rights or licenses shift from streamer to streamer.