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Library Website: Course Reserves Services

Course Reserves: Information for Faculty

The SMFA Library can place required and recommended readings from our collection, as well as instructors’ personal copies, on reserve for specific courses. Students can access lists via the Course Reserve tab in the FLO catalog or request printed copies of lists at the circulation desk.

To place materials on reserve, contact Lauren Kimball-Brown (lkimball-brown@smfa.edu or 617-369-3971).  Please provide:

  • A list of titles and call numbers (available via the FLO catalog)
  • The name of the course and the course number
  • Which reserve type you prefer (see below)
  • If you would like us to purchase reserve materials for your course, include them as well, and we will acquire them if possible.

To ensure prompt availability for your students reserve lists should be submitted at least one week before the beginning of each semester.  However, we are able to create lists and add materials to lists at any point during the school year.

Reserve Types

Closed Reserve

  • May be checked out for two hours at a time, for use inside the Library or school building only.
  • Materials are marked with yellow tape on the spine and are shelved behind the circulation desk.  
  • If the FLO catalog says an item is "Temporarily shelved at School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Circulation Desk," it is on Closed Reserve. 

Open Reserve

  • May be checked out for either one or three days, depending on the instructor’s preference (be sure to specify which loan period you prefer).
  • Materials are marked with orange tape on the spine and are shelved throughout the stacks in their usual call number locations.  
  • If the FLO catalog says an item is "Temporarily shelved at School of the Museum of Fine Arts," it is on Open Reserve.

Personal Copies and Course Readers

  • Are kept on Closed Reserve and are not permitted to leave the library.  
  • When dropping off these materials, be sure to fill out a Library Reserve: Personal Copies form, available at the circulation desk.  
  • Because these items are not in our collection, they will not appear on Course Reserve lists in the FLO catalog.  
  • Personal copies must be picked up at the end of each semester.
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