Introduction
The Reserve system allows faculty to set aside books, media, articles, and other materials for the use of students enrolled in a class.
Two types of Reserves Requests
There are two types of reserve requests:
- e-Reserves: the library will digitize articles, chapters, and selections from books. You will be provided a link to digital copies of these e-Reserves which your students will be able to access through Blackboard. You no longer need to provide copies for e-Reserves.
- Book and Media reserves: Physical copies of books and media placed on Reserve may be checked by students for short periods from designated libraries.
If you are placing a request for materials you have placed on reserve in previous semesters, you may resubmit those requests.
Getting to ILLiad, the e-Reserves and Reserves Request System
All reserves requests are now submitted through ILLiad on the library website. Before placing e-Reserves or Book and Media Reserves Requests, you will need to access ILLiad. To do so, follow these steps.
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To access ILLiad, the Reserves Request System, navigate to the library's homepage at library.gmu.edu. Then, select 'Reserves' on the right most box.
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Select 'Place items on Reserve.'
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Login using your Mason Username and Password. Your Mason Username is the same as the portion of your Mason email address preceding the @ sign. This is the same page that you use to request items through the Interlibrary Loan and InterCampus Loan services.
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If this is your first time using ILLiad you will need to complete the Add/Change Personal Information form. You may edit your personal information later from within the ILLiad site.
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Now, you are ready to submit e-Reserves and Course reserves requests. You will be able to submit more than one e-Reserves or Course Reserves request per login.
Placing an e-Reserves Request
Students access e-Reserves through Blackboard. To place an e-Reserves request, follow these steps.
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Select the 'Place a New Reserve Request' option from the menu on the left.
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Select the 'Article or Book Chapter' option under the New Reserve Request menu.
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Complete the request form as fully as possible. Please note that * indicates a required field.
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Read the Copyright Terms. Then, select the ‘I Agree with the Copyright Terms, Submit My Request' button at the bottom of the form.
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You will be notified via email when your e-Reserves requests are processed and available. This email will provide you with a URL that you will use to link to your e-Reserves in Blackboard. For information on linking and activating your e-Reserves, see the "How to link to e-Reserves in Blackboard" tutorial.
Placing Book and Media Reserve Requests
To place a book and media reserves request, follow these steps.
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Choose 'Place a New Reserve Request' from the left hand menu.
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Select the 'Book or Media Item' option under the New Reserve Request menu.
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Complete the Request Form as fully as possible. Please note that * indicates a required field.
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After completing the form, choose the 'Submit Request' button at the bottom of the form. This will complete your request.
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You will need to submit a request for each item that you wish to place on reserve.
How faculty/staff may place requests for materials used in previous semesters
To re-submit book and media reserves requests, follow these steps.
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If you have not already done so, login to your Illiad account
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In the menu select the 'My Requests' option. This is option is in the left hand column.
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In the menu select the 'Requests In Processing' option.
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A list of all the finished requests appears. Only requests with the status of "Reserve Request Finished” are eligible for re-submission.
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You will also need to check if the reserves are item types eligible for re-submission. Only the "ReserveArticle" and "ReserveBook" types are eligible.
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Select the Transaction number of the item you wish to re-submit. These will be in the left-hand column.
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Click the 'Clone Request' link. This is at the top of the page.
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The request form will load with all the item fields filled in. Update the Course Information fields to reflect course number as well as the desired semester and location .
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Review the item information. Be sure to add any applicable notes.
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Read the Copyright Terms. Then, select the ‘I Agree with the Copyright Terms, Submit My Request' button at the bottom of the form.
Reserve Policies
- Requests are processed in the order received.
- Incomplete forms will likely cause delays.
- We recommend submitting requests at least three (3) weeks prior to the beginning of the semester.
- If the items are not in the University Libraries' collections and need to be ordered, give extra time.
- e-Reserve requests will generate a confirmation email, but requests that books and media be put on physical reserves will not generate a confirmation email.
- If you need to put a personal copy of an item on reserve, note this on the form.
- You will make a separate request on ILLiad for each item you put on reserve.
- Requests must comply with current copyright laws and University intellectual property policies.
Additional Resources and Help
If you have trouble placing a request, or have questions about your request, please contact the Reserves team at ereserve@gmu.edu.
How to Place a Reserve Request
is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.