Purpose
The Library/LRC reserve collection consists of materials listed as primary references in the MUSM Study Guides, the clerkship reading lists, and items placed on reserve as temporary materials for student use. Reserve items supplied by faculty are assigned temporary item numbers for the reserve collections. The LRC reserve collection consists of models and specimens in heavy demand during a phase. The reserve service is designed to ensure that every student in the class has equal access to assigned material.
Location
Reserve materials are located behind the Circulation Desk in the Library or LRC.
Eligible Collections
Materials that may be placed on reserve are: books or audiovisual materials from the MUSM Library's circulating collection, photocopies of articles, personal or departmental copies of books, or special items such as previous examinations, pamphlets, clippings, charts and unpublished materials. Items placed on reserve in the LRC are materials normally housed in the LRC.
The MUSM Library and LRC cannot assume responsibility for the loss of or damage to personal and/or photocopied materials.
Photocopies
Copies of articles to be placed on reserve must be supplied by the faculty member. Due to copyright restrictions, no more than one copy of each title per 15 students in the class may be placed on reserve.
Availability
Standard checkout of reserve items is four hours. However, four hours before closing, reserve materials may be checked out for overnight use provided they are returned one hour after reopening. Clerkship Reserve 2 items may be checked out for the entire length of the clinical rotation.
Procedure For Placing Materials On Reserve
BMP Program: All requests for new editions, new titles, and new software to be listed in the Study Guide, and thus placed on reserve, must be received at least three weeks prior to the start of the phase to allow enough time for ordering and cataloging these materials. Otherwise, the MUSM Library and LRC cannot guarantee that materials will be available when they are needed.
MPH/MFT Programs: In order to place items on reserve, MPH and MFT instructors must complete a Course Reserves Request form for each course (available in 
PDF or 
Microsoft Word). Requests must be submitted at least five business days prior to the first day of class. Please submit the form and copies of journal articles and/or books to Stephen Ellis at the Library Circulation Desk (478-301-2541, ellis_sb@mercer.edu). Copies of the form are also available at the Library Circulation Desk. Requests submitted after this date may be delayed due to the large volume of reserve processing at the beginning of each semester.
If selected books for reserve are among the library's collection, it is the instructor’s responsibility to pull these books from the circulating stacks. We also encourage you to submit a copy of your syllabus as this helps us better assist students. Instructors will be notified when materials are processed and available and should not announce their availability to students until confirmation from the Library has been received. Items remain on reserve for one semester. All materials will be taken off reserve at the end of the semester indicated on the form. Items will be returned to the library's stacks, or to the instructor, as appropriate. The Library cannot store materials from semester to semester, as it is the instructor's responsibility to obtain permission for use from the copyright holder in each subsequent semester.
All material on reserve in the Library and LRC, regardless of its origin, will have a barcode attached. All items placed on reserve remain on reserve for the length of the phase or rotation only. Items are then returned to the general library collection or to the faculty member who provided them.
Faculty members who supply photocopied materials to be placed on temporary reserve are advised that it is their responsibility to obtain permission from the copyright holder. A sample letter and request form are available in PDF and Microsoft Word formats.
Please contact the Medical Library at 301-4056 or by email at reference.ill@gain.mercer.edu for assistance in locating the copyright holder for a given resource. The Library will help with publisher or author contact information but cannot be responsible for obtaining permissions. Requesting permission to place items on reserve is the responsibility of the faculty member who cites the item in the Study Guide, whether the item is available in print or electronically. Any permission fees incurred are also the responsibility of the faculty member or his/her department.
Electronic Reserves
If a faculty member wishes to make copyrighted reserve materials available electronically for students, he/she must first obtain copyright permission as above, and then provide a copy of the item to MUSM Senior Web Developer Michelle Bliss; email bliss_m@mercer.edu for posting on the Medicine website.
For each BMP phase, the Library adds clickable links to the electronic copy of the current study guide as posted on that phase's website. Links will take the student to available e-book/online article/website references listed. The Library will send out an announcement at the beginning of each phase so that students are aware that the linked study guide is available.
Please note that since these materials are protected by copyright, the Library cannot scan and post the full text of chapters or articles. We can only provide links to the materials, not the materials themselves.
The Library would be happy to create similar lists of links to freely-available resources for any other MUSM department or program. Simply provide us with a copy of the appropriate Study Guide or syllabus at least three weeks prior to the start of the program/class.
