e-Reserves: FAQ for Students

How do I access e-Reserves?

Through Chinook reserve lists, just as you currently pull up listings of paper reserves. Students must enter their identikey and password in order to access the image.

 

Courses using Electronic Reserves look much the same as those using "traditional" paper reserves. In fact, many courses use both. The sample display below contains both an electronic file (if this were a real course, clicking the link would ask you for your Identikey/password and lead to the document) and a paper item which can only be checked out in person at the library. View a sample course.

 

Can I access e-Reserves from outside the library?

Yes, from anywhere on campus and even off-campus. Some items on electronic reserves are links to full-text databases within the library catalog. If you are trying to access these items from off-campus, and you do not come in through the modem pool, you may need to configure your browser for VPN (virtual private network) in order to access these full-text links.

 

Electronic reserves items are available anytime, so long as Chinook is up and running. This means that you can do your reserve reading whether the library is open or not!

Can I print and/or download articles from e-Reserves?

Yes. In general, e-Reserves documents are stored in pdf format and may be either opened and printed, or downloaded to your computer. You'll need the Adobe Acrobat Reader -- we recommend version 7.0 or higher. If you don't have it on your home machine, you can download it for free.

Is there a charge for printing or downloading articles from e-Reserves?

No. However, the Campus Printing Initiative requires that most locations on campus to charge a small per-page print fee.

What should I do if I am having trouble accessing e-Reserves?

Try our Student Troubleshooting Guide first. If that doesn't answer your question, the Guide also includes phone numbers to call.

Is there any way to avoid reentering my identikey (or Name,ID, & PIN) for each individual e-reserves article?

Yes. From the Chinook main page click the "My Chinook" box. Enter your Identikey/password (or Name, ID, & PIN Code for Senior Auditors) once to access your record. From there click the "Search the catalog" link and go to Reserve Lists as you normally would. From this point on, until you log out by clicking the red "LOGOUT" button, you won't have to reauthenticate for each e-reserves article.