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Top 3 Tips for Faculty Planning Course Readings for Fall

Posted July 17, 2026 in Featured News, General Collections News, JMU Libraries News, Open Education News

Putting the finishing touches on your fall reading lists? Consider our top 3 tips for making readings more accessible and affordable for your students:

1. Shorten loan periods for high-demand items:

For physical library materials that are in high demand, you can request a shorter loan period through Course Reserves. Just log in here with your JMU eID and submit your course reserves information. You may also email requests to reserves@jmu.edu.

2. Look for free and accessible materials:

As you decide what readings, videos, and other media to assign for your courses this semester, consider the many online options that are accessible to your students through JMU Libraries, including these free or affordable resources:

Questions? Ask the Library!

3. Try “Course Reading List” in Canvas:

This is a tool designed to help you share course readings with students in an easy-to-access list. You can use the tool to build reading lists that include Course Reserves, books, e-journal articles, ebooks, streaming video or audio, websites, physical materials, and more. Check out our Course Reading List guide to get started.

Contact reserves@jmu.edu with questions about the Course Reading List feature or anything related to Course Reserves.