We Recommend |
Why |
Gather your reserve materials as early as possible. |
It can take considerable time to scan and convert documents into PDF format. If you're opting to have the Copy Center scan your materials, we recommend providing that staff with the materials to be scanned at least 3 weeks prior to making the assignment to your students.the semester. |
Provide a clean, first-generation copy of the material. All pages should be oriented in the same direction and on 8-1/2" x 11" paper. |
Cropping and rotating materials takes a considerable amount of time. We recommend that you enlarge the copy to eliminate dark edges. The better the copy you provide, the better the electronic PDF versions. |
Limit your materials to required readings. Articles longer than 25 pages will be subdivided into parts of 20-25 pages. |
Students won't read long articles online and are concerned about the cost of printing. Long articles also take a considerable amount of time to download or print. (Long articles and optional readings can be placed on regular reserves.) |
Use electronic reserves for a limited number of readings. |
Our experience indicates that students will more likely read reserve materials if there's a limited number of required readings and few optional readings. |
Write or type the full citation, your name, the course number, and the copyright holder clearly on the first page of each reading. |
The citation and course information are needed to organize the class reserve site; the copyright holder information helps with copyright law compliance. |
Consider using full-text electronic articles or books. |
These articles and books, available in many databases to which Swem Library subscribes, have several advantages: faster turnaround to post on your Blackboard page; clearer copies for students to read; much faster printing time; and an opportunity to expose students to some of the databases in the discipline. For more information on full-text databases, please contact the Reference Department at 757-221-3067 or sweref@wm.edu, or contact your Swem Library Liaison. |
