Crash Course in Using the George A. Smathers Libraries

5 Course Reserves and Computer Access

Course Reserves through the Libraries

An alligator statue and computer desk area in Library West.
Check your email in the company of the gator statue in Library West.

Textbooks are expensive and not everyone is able to buy them. What happens if you don’t have the book for your class? What happens when you’re studying on campus between classes, but your textbook is at home? You can use course reserves at the libraries!

Course reserves are materials (including items like print books, textbooks, e-books, journal articles, DVDs, and more) that are placed on reserve by your professors.

 

Course reserves are a way to access course materials at no additional cost to you. Some materials are electronic (available online) and some materials are in print (available in person).
Screenshot of a library catalog search for "CHM 2045," which shows that the course reserve textbook for this class is located in
Search the catalog for your course number to find which library branch has your textbooks.

 

Course reserves materials are available either electronically or physically.

  • Print textbooks are available to use in the Libraries, but they can’t be checked out to take home, so plan accordingly! These items can be borrowed at a branch library circulation desk for short-term use.
  • Most of the libraries have book scanners available where you can electronically copy and save sections of these print books as a PDF for your own use.
  • Electronic Course Reserves items are accessed through the Ares Course Reserves system via your Canvas account. For many courses, these electronic items are linked directly in Canvas.

You can find out which branch physical items are located in by searching the Libraries catalog for your course number, including the space (such as “EDF 2085” for Teaching Diverse Populations). Try it out in the Libraries catalog now!

 

On the left is a life-sized human skeleton model. On the right are three students inspecting the model in Marston.
You can find some interesting materials on course reserve. Mr. Bones, a human skeleton model on reserve at Marston, is a favorite study tool for Anatomy & Physiology students. (Photographs by Sarah Prentice) 

Computer Access on Campus

Long rows of computers and chairs
The first floor of Marston has two large computer labs.

If you need access to a computer while you are on campus, every library branch has computers available. Simply grab a seat and log in with your GatorLink username and password. These computer labs are open to the public. If you have guests visiting you who are not affiliated with UF, the Libraries can create a guest username to give them access to the computer lab too! The largest computer labs are located in Library West and Marston Science Library. These two libraries are also open late, in case you are in need of a computer at night or over the weekend.

In addition to the computers available in the Libraries, UF students can also use the six computer labs operated by UF Academic Technology with their GatorLink accounts. These locations offer late hours (some are even open 24/7) and are a great resource when the Libraries are closed.

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Undergraduate Guide to the George A. Smathers Libraries Copyright © 2022 by Nabil M. Chowdhury; Ava K. Kaplan; Cassidy Smith; Omolola Suleiman; Alexandrea Glenn; and Michelle M. Nolan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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