Subject Guide
Deadlines
ARES has three deadlines that every instructor should keep in mind when submitting requests:
Submitting Electronic Reserves Requests
We experience a high volume of requests at the beginning of each semester so please note the following information as you plan your needs for course reserves.
- Electronic reserve requests submitted by the instructor as a photocopy to be scanned and posted will be processed within 2 to 5 working days. Extra time should be anticipated for article requests from items that must be pulled from USC Libraries shelves or obtained through interlibrary loan. Please note that if requests do not conform to Copyright Guidelines & Rules, posting of the material may be delayed.
- Electronic reserve items uploaded by the instructor, including articles and/or book chapters in PDF format, Word Documents, or syllabi, must first be reviewed by ARES staff to ensure that the material posted conforms to our Copyright Guidelines & Rules and is accessible through ARES.
- Please note: entire copies of course readers cannot be scanned and posted on electronic reserves.
Instructors can check the status of a request logging into ARES, 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 and is pending receipt by ARES staff. This usually refers to requests that need to be scanned from paper copies supplied by the instructor. Please note: paper copies will not be returned unless requested.
- 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 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.
Submitting both requests and paper copies to be scanned well ahead of the reading date is strongly recommended.
Submitting Physical Reserves Requests
As with electronic reserves, we also experience a high volume of physical reserve requests at the beginning of each semester so please note the following information as you plan your needs for course reserves.
- Items eligible for reserve included books owned by USC Libraries, course readers, and audio-visual materials owned by USC Libraries. Books obtained through interlibrary loan cannot be placed on reserve.
- An instructor can submit their own personal copy to be placed on reserve or request for USC-owned material to be placed on reserve. Please keep in mind that personal books/DVDs are used by your students and normal wear and tear may occur. USC Libraries assumes no liability for damage to personal items placed on reserve.
- Items not owned by USC but submitted as a request to purchase (see below) require extra time to process as these requests must first be reviewed by a librarian. Please note: requests to purchase an item for reserves can be cancelled at USC Libraries' discretion.
Instructors can check the status of a request logging into ARES, 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 and is pending receipt by ARES staff. This usually refers to personal book copies supplied by the instructor. Please note: personal book copies will be returned, usually by campus mail, at the end of the semester unless requested otherwise.
- Awaiting Acquisitions Fulfillment. This status refers to requests is not owned by USC Libraries and has been routed to a USC librarian who manages these purchases and is under review or in process.
- Awaiting Recall Processing. Request is in use by another patron and has been recalled by ARES staff. The other patron has 14 days to return the item which will then be processed upon receipt.
- In Stacks Searching. Item is currently being searched on USC Libraries' shelves for reserves processing.
- Item Available at Reserve Desk. Request has been processed and is accessible from the assigned library.
First Day to Submit Requests for a new semester
The first day to submit requests for Fall, Spring, and Summer classes depends on the following schedule:
Fall: Last Friday in March
Spring: Last Friday in October of the previous year
Summer: Last Friday in February
For example, the first day to submit a request for Spring 2020 will be Oct. 25, 2019. The first day to submit a request for Fall 2019 will be March 29, 2019. You will not be able to add requests or classes for future semesters if the schedule above is not active. For example, a Fall 2020 class or request can not be added on Ares since the first day to submit a request is March 27, 2020.
Request to Purchase a book/DVD for Reserves
If your reserves request for a book or DVD is not currently owned by any USC Libraries, you may submit it to be considered for purchase to be added to our collection. It will then be placed on reserves upon receipt. The request must be first entered into ARES with the option Please consider this for purchase selected on the form. The request to purchase will then be reviewed and forwarded to a librarian. Please note that many factors are involved in purchasing an item for reserve such as availability, cost, and subject. The librarian will ultimately decide whether or not to purchase the item and the instructor will be notified, via e-mail, regarding the decision and timetable for its availability. Please note that textbooks do not qualify for purchase since the libraries do not purchase textbooks for it's library collection. If a book/DVD is approved it will first be cataloged and then placed on reserve for the semester assigned. At the end of the semester the item will be integrated into the library's collection.
In order to submit a request-to-purchase in a timely matter (particularly orders coming from abroad) please note the following timetable:
- Fall Semester - please submit request-to-purchase by July 15th
- Spring Semester - please submit request-to-purchase by December 1st
- Summer Semester - please submit request-to-purchase by April 1st
Reserve requests for purchase need to be allotted sufficient time to process, purchase, catalog, and added to the reserve shelf. All efforts will be made to purchase requested items, but the above timeline is strongly suggested. If you have any questions please contact IDD at idd@usc.edu.