PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 14, 2008

CONTACT:Jamie Edwards
(301)(301)405-9181
jamyung@umd.edu

New System for Course Reserves

A new system, available May 5, to make it easier for faculty to provide course reserves to students

College Park, MD -College Park, MD -

Effective May 5, 2008, the University of Maryland Libraries will begin using a new course reserves system. The new system will be accessible only through the University's ELMS course management system (powered by Blackboard). Requests for summer and fall 2008 reserves will be processed using the new system, and will not be available through the UM Libraries’ catalog. The new system will provide improved service and facilitate better communication between faculty and reserves staff. Benefits of the new system include:

• Integration with ELMS, allowing "one-stop shopping" for all course materials
• ELMS authentication, eliminating the need for course-specific passwords
• Online tracking of requests, allowing faculty to monitor the status of reserve items and receive email alerts when new items are available
• Optional direct faculty file uploads (pending a brief copyright review by reserves staff) for faster turnaround times