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Course Reserves

A guide for students and faculty to learn about course reserves

How do I access course reserves?

We have a new, streamlined way of searching for digital items!

  1. Using any internet-enabled device, navigate to the Cabrillo College Library website
  2. Scroll down to “Library Services” and select “Need a Textbook?”
  3. Click “Read Library Textbooks Online”
  4. If you are not already logged into your library account, now is a good time to do so by clicking on the “Sign in” button in the upper right-hand corner (don’t worry, you’ll be sent back to this page when logged on)
  5. Scroll until you find the department your class is in and click on the image
  6. Find the class your textbook is assigned to and click on the image
  7. Click on the book you wish to use
  8. A new slide-in window will appear with the availability of different formats, including digital and physical
  9. If a digital copy is available, you can click on it and begin reading

Some things of note:

  • Loan period for a digital item is 2 hours. If no one is waiting for it, you can renew it (check it out again)
  • If all the digital copies you need are checked out, you can place yourself in a “digital que;” we highly recommend doing this as it will alert you when the book becomes available and it also lets us know if we need to acquire more copies
  • If you don’t need you item for the full 2 hours, please use the “return early” function in the upper right corner so that someone else can use it (it will not automatically return when you close the browser window).
     

Physical course reserves, such as books and graphing calculators, can be obtained from the Check Out desk in the library. To do this, you will need your student ID card (or, your ID number and another form identification). If it is an item such as a graphing calculator or a map test, simply walk up to the desk and ask for what you need. If you are looking for text book, you will need the call number. In order to get the call number, follow these steps:

  1. Using any computer or your cellphone, navigate to the library's website: https://www.cabrillo.edu/library/
  2. Scroll down to "Library Services" and click on "Need a Textbook"
  3. Under "Textbooks in Print," click "Search for Textbooks"
  4. In the "Search Anything" bar, type the course code (for example, ESL 355 or MATH 12), instructor's last name, or book title
  5. If you want to narrow your search (i.e. you got more returns than are helpful), you can narrow your search using the options on the left-hand side
    1. I recommend either "Course Instructor" or "Course Name," whichever one wasn't used in the initial search
    2. You can also find online books this way
  6. Locate the title you want and click on it
  7. If the item you are looking for is available, write down the alpha-numeric call number (it should look something like "E178.1 .A49367 2020" or "HIST  17A  Gudgersson  Pox Amer.  2001")
  8. Bring this number to the Check Out desk, and they will get the item for you!

If you you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Course Reserves Specialist or use Ask a Librarian.

There are multiple types of digital text books, two of the most popular being eBooks available through library services like EBSCO and scanned textbooks online. You can explore those options here: https://www.cabrillo.edu/library/library-textbooks/

The other option is to search for digital textbooks in a similar method to how you search for physical textbooks, by following these steps:

  1. Using any computer or your cellphone, navigate to the library's website: https://www.cabrillo.edu/library/
  2. Click on the "Search" button
  3. In the new tab, select "Advanced Search"
  4. Select "Textbooks and Reserves"
  5. You have two main options at this point: you can either search by course or instructor
    1. To search by course: 
      1. In the Field drop-down (it should be automatically set to "Any Field") select "Course ID"
      2. Enter the course name and number, for example: ENGL 14A, HIST 10
      3. Click "Search"
    2. To search by instructor:
      1. In the Field drop-down (it should be automatically set to "Any Field") select "Course Instructor"
      2. Enter the instructor's last name
      3. Click "Search" NOTE: this option is recommended for classes with lots of sections with different reading lists, such as English 1A and History 17A
  6. To narrow your search to only what is available online, use the "Refine your results" window on the left-hand side. Under the Availability options, select "Online." This will only show you eBooks and PDF's 
  7. Select the item you wish to check out, and follow the instructions for access on the next window

NOTE: If you use the PDF Chapters option, and you are done before the 2 hour time limit is up, please click the "Return Early" button on the top right-hand side of the screen. PDF's will not return automatically when you close the window and if you are done with it, returning it early allows another student to use it sooner.

If you have any questions or need help finding materials, please don't hesitate to email or live chat with a librarian via Ask a Librarian.

Some Videos to Get You Started

What if the item isn't where it should be?

If you can't find an item that should be on reserve, please don't hesitate to ask for direction at the Information Desk or use the Ask a Librarian function on the library's website.

You can also fill out the Course Reserve Request Form. If the item is missing from our collection, this will let us know to add it. If we have it but it is tied to the wrong class, filling out the class and instructor sections of this form help us make sure it is attached to the right class.

If the library does not have a copy of a required item, you can request it by either filling out a form in-person at the Check-Out Desk of the main library on the Aptos campus or by filling out the new, online Course Reserves Request Form. It usually takes several days for an item to become available for check out, and if you leave your contact information with us we may be able to provide you with updates.

I was told the library can't get my reserve; why?

We do our best to make sure every required book for class is available for checkout, but sometimes we simply can't acquire them. Here are some of the more common reason:

  • It's a "rental only" item. Some publishers are making their items only available through rental. Theoretically, this should save students money, but what it really does is end the used-textbook market and make it virtually impossible for the library to acquire.
  • The book cannot be accessed without an access code. The library does not acquire access codes. Sometimes we do acquire books with access codes and may have extra code available for a student. Some books that require codes for use are not purchased due the book being unusable without the code.
  • The book is out of print. If the book is out of print, we will do our best to find a used copy of it, but we aren't always successful. 
  • The book is not a required text. The library only puts required items on reserve. We do not typically put recommended items on reserve, but we may have them available in the Main Stacks. You can get help with Main Stacks items at the Information desk.

If you are unable to find an item that you think should be on reserve, please contact someone at the Check Out or Information desk or Ask a Librarian.