Library Resources -- Recommendations and Requests

The Library provides Course Reserves to support instructional requirements for courses taught at NTU. The reserve collection comprises textbooks, articles, DVDs and other publications that are required reading or viewing.

• NOTE: The Library is unable to purchase items that are sold only on a personal or per-user basis, e.g. Harvard Business Cases

Physical items designated as a Course Reserve (RBR) will only be available on a short loan -- 2- hours for books and 4 hours for DVDs. The number of copies to be purchased is calculated based on several considerations (see this table). Factors include:

• No. of students enrolled
• Price of each copy
• Average transactions based on historical data
• Whether the title is a new edition
• Whether the title is out-of-print
• A minimum of 2 and a maximum of 10 copies

Electronic Books or Textbooks

For electronic books or Digital Copies of textbooks, their availability depends on the options available to libraries. When available, some of the typical options include:

• One-time purchase or Subscription
• No. of concurrent users
• No. of copies
• Able to download onto device
• Able to read offline

See also: Overview of E-Textbooks

To request for Course Reserves titles:

1. Go to Stafflink
2. Find "Resource Request"
3. Click "Library Services"
4. Click "Course Reserves Recommendation" and complete the form

NOTE: The Library is in the midst of piloting a new system embedded in NTU learn for managing such requests.

Additional / Suggested Readings

• For such readings which are not mandatory for students, the Library asks that course instructors choose from existing collections/subscriptions from the Library, or use resources that are publicly available.

Streaming Videos, or Video on Demand (VOD) is a service provided by the Library for current NTU staff and students to access digitised videos on the intranet. This service can be accessed on computers or mobile devices anywhere with a working internet connection.

Video licensing

Getting the license rights for streaming videos is a complex process. It can take several months to conclude on whether the Library can obtain the rights to stream a particular film. Such licenses are typically offered for a fixed time period, e.g. 1-year, and on a renewable basis like a subscription.

Course instructors may wish to consider choosing films that are already available as Streaming Video, or titles that are readily available for purchase from the following providers:

• Film Platform
• Kanopy

For the purchase and use of audio-visual materials, the Library complies with regulations and guidelines from the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) of Singapore.

NOTE: Subscriptions to instructional or educational video courses online, such as those in Lynda.com or Schoolism.com, do not fall under the current scope of NTU Library.

To request for a Streaming Video, send an email to acquisition[at]ntu.edu.sg with the following details:

• Course name and course code
• Period of use (e.g. AY 19/20, semester 2)
• Number of students
• Bibliographic information of the title
  • Title
  • Year of publication
  • Director
  • URL(s) where helpful
• How is this video being used in your course?
  • Is it mandatory viewing?
  • Is the film screen during class-time? Are students expected to view the entire film outside class-time?
  • Is there an assignment based on the film?
• How likely are you to use this film in the next 2-3 years?