Electronic Reserves Allow Students
to Study From Remote Locations

It's a long weekend and a student travels home to Beckley. Between visits with his family, he plans to study for an upcoming physics exam.

He knows every available resource will be necessary for success. Unfortunately, he forgot to stop by Colson Reserve Library before leaving Morgantown to copy materials his professor encouraged the class to study.
A remedy, though, may only be a few clicks away on the keyboard if his professor uses the WVU Electronic Reserve System.

"Our e-reserve system allows students to read assignments, study homework solutions, and view lecture notes from their classes at any time of the day or night without coming to the Libraries," said Carroll Wilkinson, head of Downtown Access Services. "I like the idea that the Libraries can go to them. We are using technology creatively to improve services that we have offered for many years."

Colson Reserve Library serves as a depository for homework problems, past exams and required and supplemental readings provided by faculty. The Libraries have worked with faculty on this service to students since the opening of the University Library in the early 1930's. Since Wise was built in 1931, students have been able to visit the Library to obtain assigned resources and study them. After photocopy technology arrived in the 1960's, students had a new option of copying the assignments and taking them out of the library to a location of their choice for further study.

The Electronic Reserve System merges the assigned reading service with cyberspace allowing students to access the same information, no matter where they are, via a computer. A link to the e-reserves is found on the WVU Libraries website. Getting the material from the familiar manila folders and books to digital form is a simple, but time-consuming process.

Library staff scan tests, homework problems, book pages and other items on to a secure server. They create websites for the faculty requiring a user name and password to get to the readings. The Libraries' Systems Department maintains the system of user names and passwords. Last year, the Reserve staff scanned more than 24,000 pages to support the teaching faculty's assignments. The bulk of the work occurs weeks before a new semester begins but continues as the semester progresses and professors add new assignments and exams.

The innovative system began at West Virginia University in 1998 as a pilot program with less than 20 faculty participating. WVU Libraries joined approximately 140 other academic libraries around the country offering electronic reserve services.

Participation since has almost doubled every semester, Wilkinson said. Today, 330 professors still use the traditional reserves at Colson, and nearly 240 others choose to place materials on electronic reserve.
Wilkinson attributes its popularity to the convenience it provides students.

"Faculty members are just happy their students can get access to the material they want them to read morning, noon and night, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and even holidays," Wilkinson said.
Physics professor Dr. Carl Rotter considered the e-reserves an excellent service since its inception, noting the timesaving benefit.

A student studying at home for a test can access the material immediately instead of driving onto campus, finding a parking space, locating the material, copying it and returning home.
"Students have busy lives," Rotter said. "Time is an essential element to most students' success. This makes it easier."

Along with past tests and answers to homework assignments, he uses the website to post computer-animated applications that enable students to test the concepts they are learning in class.
Biology professor Dr. Elizabeth Thomas finds the e-reserves work well with her practice of using Power Point presentations during her lectures. She posts the presentations on the website so students can print copies to bring to class.

The service cuts down on the amount of notes students have to take during class and enables them to get more out of the lecture. Rather than scribbling copious notes to keep up with Thomas speaking and what they're viewing on the screen, they can pay more attention to Thomas.

"There's a lot of material to cover, and we go through it quickly," Thomas said.

"Students are a little bit better prepared in class and can get more out of it."

Wilkinson doubts the university will see the end of the traditional reserve anytime soon, but she expects to see use of e-reserves increase over coming semesters.

"Access to information is what WVU Libraries is all about," Wilkinson said. "Technology is helping us deliver information quickly to support the educational process that goes on in the university."

http://www.colres.wvu.edu/ereserve.html

Ex Libris is published quarterly by the WVU Libraries
P.O. Box 6069 Morgantown WV 26506-6069
www.libraries.wvu.edu
(304) 293-4040