You can easily select all (online) course reserves via the catalogue. Then, you can download the reading list and upload it to the Course Reserve Portal. Find a step-by-step guide below. 

If a (digital) publication is not available, you can make a purchase request in the Course Reserve Portal. Please do not forget to click on the Submit purchase request button before you finish your course reserve shelf request. Keep in mind that it may take up to several months before new physical titles become available. Therefore, please request the course reserve shelf on time. 

We recommend using digital materials as much as possible due to limited available shelf space. Please note that not all material in the UBL collection can be placed on a course reserve shelf. Underneath the tab “Material” you can find the exceptions, such as DVDs and materials from the Special Collections. 

1. Selecting books, chapters, and articles via the catalogue 

• Log in to the catalogue using your ULCN-account.
• Search for a specific item, then select by pressing the pin: when selecting articles or chapters from printed journals and books, only select the title of the journal or book.
• After selecting all course materials go to My Favorites on the top right of the page.
• Under the Saved Records tab, select all required titles for the course reserve by checking the (numbered) boxes and click on the three dots (‘push to actions’).
• Choose Export RIS > Download > Save As. Please ignore the option for changing the encoding.
• Name the file and make sure the extension is .ris.

2. Uploading your selection

• Log in on Course Reserve Portal using your ULCN account.
• Press New Request.
• Fill in all the required fields and import your RIS-file.
• Literature not available in the UBL can be requested for purchase through the field Books to be purchased. Click the Submit purchase request before submitting your course reserve shelf. Please note that it can take up to several months to process a new printed addition to the collection and place the item on reserve. E-books are usually made available within a few days. 

Ready? Press Submit request. You will be able to review and confirm your reservation on the next page.

Updating an existing course reserve shelf 
 

If you would like to add titles to the Course Reserve Shelf or have any other comments afterwards, log in to the Course Reserve Portal and go to the relevant course reserve shelf. You can add additional literature to your shelf by submitting a RIS-file with the titles you would like to add. If you need to correct a mistake in your course information or reading list, please use the “Corrections and remarks” field.

Requests are processed in the order received. When you have submitted your request, you will receive confirmation with the course reserve shelf code (e.g.: ULCRS00123 or ALCRS00123) and a link to your reading list. You can share this link with your students via Brightspace. The reading list is active on the indicated start date and will be removed on the indicated end date.

Physical materials will be placed shortly before or on the start date of your course reserve shelf. If items are on loan, they will be processed as soon as possible once they are returned. New purchases will be placed on the shelf after they have been catalogued. On the course reserve shelves, you will find bookends with the course reserve shelf code, the course title, and the lecturer's name. The catalogue will show the new temporary location of the course reserves to help students easily find the material.  

All items available through our catalogue (journal articles, journal issues, books, book chapters, newspaper articles, videos, reference entries, databases, etc.) can be put on an online reading list. However, not all physical material may be placed on a shelf in the library due to policy restrictions: 

• Audiovisual materials. DVDs can be made available as course reserves, but they are kept in custody at the information desk. Students can collect them for viewing within the library. As there are only a few possibilities for students to consult these materials, we advise teachers to present the materials during a lecture (online or offline) or to book the Cinema Room Vos, where DVDs can be watched as a group.
• Material from the Walaeus Library, MEL, and MEL-NINO Library. Items from these libraries are not available to be placed on a course reserve shelf. If you wish to have material from these libraries, a card will be placed on your shelf with a reference to the item's location. 
• Material from the Special Collections. If you wish to have material from the Special Collections on your shelf, different procedures apply to this. You can read more about how to request Special Collections items for your course reserve shelf below. 

Material from the Special Collections 

If you want to make Special Collection items available on your course reserve shelf, please read the following instructions.  

Requesting material from the Special Collections:

• Request the items that you wish to place on your shelf as per usual by logging in to the catalogue. 
• Send an e-mail to the Special Collections to inform our colleagues that the requested items are for a course reserve shelf: specialcollections@library.leidenuniv.nl. Please mention your name, the shelfmarks of the items, start and end dates of the shelf, and a list of your students. 
• Special Collections course reserves can be consulted in the Special Collections Reading Room. Your students need to mention your name and the item they wish to view at the information desk. To make sure your students are well-prepared when visiting the Reading Room, you can refer them to the Reading Room policies on the Special Collections website.  
• If you have regular items on your course reserve shelf as well, please follow the steps above to request a course reserve shelf. These items will be placed at the North Hall of the University Library or in the Asian Library. 

Due to copyright regulations, it is not possible to place printed copies of book chapters and/or articles on the course reserve shelf. Please request the entire book/journal instead. Students can then make (digital) copies themselves for private use. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to send us an e-mail. 

Course reserve shelves are available for the following library locations:

• University Library: on the ground floor in the "Noordhal", next to the printers. Due to constructions, the course reserve shelves have been temporarily moved to the Information Centre Huygens, in front of the media room. 
• Asian Library: in the reading room on the second floor, near entrance 8
• Law Library: behind the circulation desk and/or in the designated areas in the library
• Social and Behavioral Sciences Library: physical books in the cabinet behind the circulation desk
• Science Library: behind the circulation desk
• Wijnhaven Library, The Hague: in the last bookcase after the regular reference collection, closest to the window
• Walaeus Library: behind the circulation desk

• University Library and Asian Library: by mail, or at the circulation desk during opening hours 
• Law Library: by mail, or at the circulation desk during opening hours 
• Social and Behavioral Sciences Library: by mail, or at the circulation desk during opening hours 
• Science Library: by mail, or at the circulation desk during opening hours 
• Wijnhaven Library: by mail, or at the circulation desk during opening hours 
• Walaeus Library: by mail, or at the circulation desk during opening hours 
• Online course reserves: by mail, or at the circulation desk of the University Library during opening hours 

For questions about the collection, you may also contact your subject librarian.