If a request calls for only one copy, the reserve room may place on reserve an entire article, or an entire chapter from a book, or an entire poem. Requests for multiple copes should meet the following guidelines:

1. The amount of material should be reasonable in relation to the total amount of material assigned for one term of a course, taking into account the nature of the course, its subject matter and level. See 17 U.S.C. §107(1) and (3);

2. The number of copies should be reasonable in light of the number of students enrolled, the difficulty and timing of assignments, and the number of other courses which may assign the same material. See 17 U.S.C. §107(1) and (3);

3. The material should contain a notice of copyright. See 17 U.S.C. §401;

4. The effect of photocopying the material should not be detrimental to the market for the work. 17 U.S.C. §107(4).

For example, a professor may place on reserve as a supplement to the course textbook a reasonable number of copies of articles from academic journals or chapters from trade books. A reasonable number of copies will in most instances be less than six, but factors such as the length or difficulty of the assignment, the number of enrolled students and the length of time allowed for completion of the assignment may permit more in unusual circumstances.

In addition, a faculty member may also request that multiple copies of photocopied, copyright protected material be placed on the reserve shelf if there is insufficient time to obtain permission from the copyright owner. For example, a professor may place on reserve several photocopies of an article from a recent issue of Time magazine in lieu of distributing a copy to each member of the class.