Faculty Semester Success Checklist

✔ Place Your Course Materials on Reserve

Help ensure your students have access to required course materials from the first day of class by submitting your Course Reserve requests before the semester begins. Placing textbooks, books, articles, media, and other instructional materials on reserve allows students to access high-demand resources through the library, helping reduce costs and improve equitable access to course content.

To allow sufficient time for processing and availability, all Fall 2026 Course Reserve requests must be submitted by Monday, August 10. Early submissions help library staff prepare materials, resolve any copyright or licensing considerations, and ensure resources are available when your students need them.

If you have questions about eligible materials or the Course Reserve process, library staff are available to assist you.

Submit a Course Reserve Request

✔ Schedule Library Instruction Sessions

Howard University Libraries partners with faculty to support student success through customized library instruction and research support. Our librarians collaborate with instructors to design course-integrated sessions that align with learning objectives, assignments, and disciplinary research practices. Whether introducing students to library resources, teaching effective research strategies, developing information literacy skills, or providing guidance on citation management and evaluating sources, our instructional services help students become confident, independent researchers. Schedule a library instruction session early in the semester to give your students the skills and resources they need to succeed throughout the course.

Request Library Instruction

✔ Connect with Your Subject Librarian

Howard University Libraries is home to a team of librarians with expertise across a wide range of academic disciplines and research specialties. Your subject librarian is a valuable partner in teaching, research, and scholarly success. By connecting with them early, you can collaborate on course-integrated library instruction, develop research assignments, create customized research guides, identify discipline-specific resources, and connect students with the information skills they need to succeed.

Subject Librarians

✔ Identify Open Educational Resources

Open Educational Resources (OER) are freely accessible teaching, learning, and research materials that can be used, adapted, and shared with no or minimal restrictions. These resources include textbooks, lesson plans, multimedia content, and entire courses created and licensed to support equitable access to education. 

Explore Our Open Educational Resources (OER) Guide