Through the digital course reserves program, the UC Berkeley Library helps students save money by attempting to provide them with free online access to copies of the books and videos they need for their classes. The Library will acquire textbooks or other required instructional materials depending on budget and material availability.

For students

Go to your classes’ bCourses sites to find links to required books and videos that your instructors have selected for the semester. Some instructors may provide these links on their syllabi or through another course management system. If you do not see these links for a particular class, ask your instructor (only instructors may submit requests). If the course reserve program is beneficial to you, please let your instructors know. 

For instructors

What to expect

Instructors submit their required book and video requests to the Library. For books, the Library will attempt to license e-books for institutional use. Copyrighted books that cannot be purchased as e-books by the Library or by students will be scanned and made available through a controlled digital lending platform, UC BEARS (see below). Once the items are available, the instructor will receive an email with the direct links to those items, which the instructor provides to their students via their bCourses site and/or in their syllabus. Please note that articles and chapters are not in the scope of course reserves; instead, instructors may consider whether they can share them directly with students under fair use — contact Scholarly Communications with questions.

Summer 2026

The priority deadline for summer course reserves requests is March 31, 2026. We will continue to accept requests after March 31, but items may not be available in time for the start of summer instruction. For the benefit of our students, we encourage you to submit your requests as soon as possible.

To place an e-reserves request: email your course number/title and a list of your required items; for each item, please tell us the title, author, date/edition, and other bibliographic details. Please include any items you wish to reuse from previous semesters as we may need to reactivate those. Requests for books should be sent to ereserves@lists.berkeley.edu. Requests for videos/media should be sent directly to avmccirc@library.berkeley.edu.

About UC BEARS

• Content is available 24/7 through a viewer compliant with WCAG 2.1, Level AA
• Digital items are not available for download or printing (in portion or entirety).
• Digital items are available only to users with a CalNet login.
• The number of simultaneous users is determined by the number of UC Berkeley-owned physical copies.
• Digital items are only available in UC BEARS for the duration of the semester and must be re-requested if needed again for the same or different course in a new semester. UC BEARS links are deactivated after the semester ends.
• The UC Berkeley-owned physical copies are not available for on-site use or checkout during the semester that they are made available through UC BEARS.
• Digital items can be checked out for 120 minutes, and items are renewable at the end of the loan period if another user has not checked them out already.
• Users are able to see if an item is available for checkout or, if in use, when the item will become available.
• Users may check out one item from UC BEARS at a time.

About

Roundtable is an important forum for information sharing and discussions between the Library Cabinet and the next layer of leadership from all units of the UC Berkeley Library. Members are expected to attend all meetings. When they are unable to attend, members will identify an appropriate substitute that they prepare to contribute to the meeting — this may be someone from their unit who is well-matched to the agenda items of that meeting, or they may coordinate with their AUL/Director to serve in that role. The substitute does not necessarily have to be in a managerial role.

In-person meetings prioritize topics that: are informed by group consideration, impact the Berkeley campus and the UC Berkeley Library broadly, and/or enable members to develop as managers prepared to build a strong organizational culture and to guide our diverse workforce to advance the Library’s and university’s missions. Meetings often include commentary from the University Librarian; spotlights about Library policies, practices, and projects; discussions about current issues affecting the Library; and/or topics focused on management or leadership development. Roundtable serves as an important consultation group to inform recommendations and provide advice for decisions; if formal votes are taken, they will be considered final at that meeting. All members may send information updates that are relevant to managers to the group via email anytime. All members may suggest items for future agendas.

Agendas will be shared in advance of the meeting with any pre-reading noted so members have time to prepare. Guests will be invited according to the agenda topics. Highlights from each Roundtable meeting will be shared in a timely manner with all Library staff. Managers are expected to discuss relevant topics regularly in their departmental meetings and to raise questions and suggest topics that arise in those meetings for future Roundtable agendas. Presentations about programs, services, and issues will be held as open meetings for all Library staff as appropriate.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion statement

The UC Berkeley Library stands firmly in opposition to discrimination and systemic oppression. Social justice, equal rights, and equal treatment for all are bedrock principles for the Library, as we fulfill our public mission. It is clear that we must do more to address racism in the workplace and in the campus community. Without changing the primary purpose of this group, you should carry out your charge in a way that advances the Library’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within the context of your group work.

Membership

Roundtable primarily includes the Library’s Cabinet members, key managers that report directly to those people, as well as one representative from the affiliated libraries and the assessment librarian. 

Conveners

Beth Dupuis, Senior Associate University Librarian, and Jo Anne Newyear Ramirez, Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Resources

Meeting schedule

Monthly, usually Thursday, 9-10 a.m.

Email list

roundtab@lists.berkeley.edu

About the policy

Last updated: November 2021

The UC Berkeley Library holds a premier collection drawn from around the world to support research and study by our faculty, students, and other patrons. Many of the items in our collection are considered sacred in at least one religious tradition in the world. We have received requests to treat sacred texts differently from our other collections. Most commonly, such requests have included: placing sacred texts in a collection separated from other related collections, adding information about a religious tradition to certain texts, or somehow identifying the texts as sacred.

Our goal is to provide equal access to materials for research and learning. For this reason, we have chosen to catalog and process sacred texts as we do other materials. Philosophically, we believe that separating or marking out these texts from other collections risks impairing access to them, and may increase risk of loss or misplacement once out of our normal protocols. Practically, we do not have the capacity to consistently identify and accommodate all traditions with special treatment of their sacred texts. The Library treats all of our materials professionally and carefully throughout the lifecycle of an item. We also expect our patrons to treat all of our materials with respect and care.

Our local practice aligns with the national standards set out by the American Library Association in the Library Bill of Rights and their guidance on religion and intellectual freedom.

About the Cabinet

The Cabinet sets policies for and makes high-level strategic and operational decisions on Library-wide matters related to services that support the Library’s mission, but are not specifically Library services. This team communicates and engages with the entire organization and its partners to collectively advance the Library’s mission. You can read our team charter (PDF).

Members of the Cabinet

Suzanne Wones
University Librarian 

Carolyn Caizzi
Associate University Librarian for Digital Initiatives and Information Technology

Kate Donovan
Director of The Bancroft Library and Associate University Librarian for Special Collections

Elizabeth Friedman Branoff
Executive Director of Development

Tiffany Grandstaff
Executive Director of Communications and Interim Chief of Staff

Brian Quigley
Interim Associate University Librarian for Educational Initiatives and User Services

Jo Anne Newyear Ramirez
Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Resources

Deborah Rudolph
Interim Director of the East Asian Library