Course Reserves

Countdown to Canvas

Drexel is currently in the process of transitioning to Canvas as its new learning management system (LMS). As part of that process, instructors will need to rebuild their course reserve lists in their new Canvas course shells.  

Guidelines for building course reserve lists in Canvas are available in our Course Reserves Guide. We encourage you to rebuild your lists in Canvas as soon as possible. Per the University’s transition timeline, all courses should use Canvas for Fall 2026-27.

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Reserve lists typically include required and recommended course readings. Reserves help to alleviate the effect of ever-increasing textbook costs on students, foster student and faculty engagement, and create opportunities for library outreach.

What can I put on reserve?

The Drexel University Libraries' Course Reserve Service is designed to connect students with their course materials as seamlessly as possible. Please note that course-required textbooks are not kept on reserve unless requested by an instructor.

• Textbooks
• Journal articles
• DVDs
• Streaming media

Placing & Accessing Materials on Reserve

Electronic course reserve readings will be accessible via Canvas. Physical items placed on reserve will be available at the W. W. Hagerty Library.

To check to see if an item is on reserve, search for the title in DragonSearch, the Libraries' online search tool. Note that professors usually indicate if materials are available via course reserves in the syllabus. Not all instructors utilize the course reserves, and please check your syllabus for each class.

Instructors must submit all course reserve requests via Canvas. To ensure that course reserve materials are available to students by the first day of the term, we recommend submitting requests at least two weeks before the start of the term.

Visit the Reserves Guidelines for Faculty page for information and guidelines about physical and electronic course reserves, including deadlines for making requests, a list of materials that can be put on reserve, and copyright information. The Instructions for Faculty page includes step-by-step instructions on placing a reserve request and additional information on linking a course in Canvas to the reserves system.

Loan Periods

All Drexel University students, faculty and staff are eligible to borrow physical reserve materials. Clients must present a current DragonCard to borrow physical items on reserve.

• Loan period: Three or 24 hours
• Renewals: Request to renew materials in person at the Service Desk

Contact Us

For questions or for more information about course reserves, please email reserve@drexel.edu.