Accessible Format
Please contact our Library Accessibility Services department at liblas@mcmaster.ca for more information.
Reserves are course related items (books or other materials) that are set aside for students to access. Reserves can be accessed electronically via our new eReserves system, or as physical items that can be borrowed from the front desks at Mills or Thode Libraries.
For more information, visit our Reserves & Courseware FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for Instructors or Students.
Please contact our Library Accessibility Services department at liblas@mcmaster.ca for more information.
Your course may not be activated. After requesting a new course shell and developing your course, you will need to then activate your course. Please note it takes 24 hours to process.
If you have already followed these steps and still cannot view it, please submit an Avenue to Learn ticket.
Adding eReserves to your Avenue to Learn course: Step-by-step instructions (PDF) (mp4 Video)
More questions? Contact the Library at ereserve@mcmaster.ca
eReserves is our electronic course reserve system that allows instructors and students to find all their reading materials in one list, integrated with Avenue to Learn.
Instructors upload their course reading list and library staff will search for and manage the course readings. This service ensures your content is made accessible and copyright compliant. eReserves is also free for students to use. Visit eReserves FAQ for more information.
Items not found eReserves :
Please contact our Library Accessibility Services department at liblas@mcmaster.ca for more information.
Our Print Reserves service is still available, although we strongly encourage instructors to use eReserves over print reserves, when possible.
Visit Print Reserves FAQ for more information about this service.
Print Reserves are library or instructor owned items that are set aside for the short-term use of students. These items are highly circulated and held on the reserve shelf behind the Services Desk in the library.
The loan times vary depending on the preferences of the course instructor and demand for the item.
Many reserve items have 2-hour loans, but some are 24 hours or 7 days.
Make sure to return your reserve items on time - late items accrue fines quickly! Read more about Course Reserve fines and rules.
We have transitioned the majority of courseware over to the eReserves program. Printed courseware is no longer available for the majority of courses. If you have previously discussed an exception with the Campus Store, please contact courseadoptions@mcmaster.ca.
Why eReserves?
As more course materials are being made online, instructors are increasingly opting for course materials from library electronic resources, open educational resources or other online tools. eReserves is a new service offered by the University Library that can support the delivery of electronic course material to students.
How do I transition my Custom Courseware to eReserves?
Library staff would be happy to help you make this transition. Visit the eReserves tab to learn more.
Learn more about locating and using OER at McMaster:
References
Hilton, J. (2016). Open educational resources and college textbook choices: A review of research on efficacy and perceptions. Educational Technology Research and Development 64, 573–590. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-016-9434-9
Jhangiani, R. S., Dastur, F. N., Le Grand, R., & Penner, K. (2018). As good or better than commercial textbooks: Students' perceptions and outcomes from using open digital and open print textbooks. Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 9(1), n1. https://www.learntechlib.org/p/207185/
Martin, M., Belikov, O., Hilton, J., Wiley, D., & Fischer, L. (2017). Analysis of student and faculty perceptions of textbook costs in higher education. Open Praxis, 9(1), 79-91. https://www.learntechlib.org/p/180267/
Skowronek, D. (2017). Textbooks on open reserve: A pilot project. College & Research Libraries News, 78(11), 607-611. https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.78.11.607
UNESCO. (n.d.). Open Educational Resources (OER). https://en.unesco.org/themes/building-knowledge-societies/oer
The Library is here to provide support for instructors and staff on copyright compliance as well as ensure course readings respect McMaster licensing agreements.
eReserves can contain:
Please keep in mind when using copyrighted materials within your course readings, you can copy or upload the following:
More questions? Contact the Library at ereserve@mcmaster.ca
How Library Stuff Works: A series of short, engaging videos on a range of topics to help you understand, find and use the library and its resources.
Library Guides: General guides to help you with your research skills, and course specific guides to help you with relevant resources and services.
The Library provides access to a range of resources, along with help guides containing tips on how to find:
Looking for supplements or alternatives to paywalled Library resources? Consider finding and using Open Educational Resources (OERs) or other open access content. VIsit the eCampus Ontario Open Library to view high quality collections of open textbooks and other course materials or to use Curator, a guide for assessing OERs.
Need more help or have questions? Visit our help page or email us at ereserve@mcmaster.ca.