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Frequently Asked Questions About Getting Your Class Ready
How do I put books and articles on reserve in the library?
Most classes use the electronic reserves in the Lehman Library in the International Affairs Building. To access this for your class, visit the CourseWorks site for your class and click "Reserves." You can upload any digital files from your computer, a floppy, a CD, or from your laptop to the site. You can send links to useful sites or to journals and their archives as well. You can also visit the library and submit books, articles, or disks with digital files. If you have a single-sided copy of any article or chapter, Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning in Butler Library (CCNMTL) will put it up on your CourseWorks site, and the material will be available to your students. And while it is always desirable to get this set up by August 1 for the fall semester and December 1 for the spring, the library will also accept materials throughout the semester. The turnaround time for adding material after the semester has started is about one week.
How do I order textbooks?
You can order textbooks from the Columbia University Bookstore online. You can also go to Papyrus Books on Broadway, Labyrinth Books on West 112th Street, or any other bookstore. Papyrus and Labyrinth have a helpful and knowledgeable staff. Textbook salespeople stop by throughout the semester to answer questions and to encourage you to take a look at the latest editions of popular textbooks. The turnaround time here is linked to the availability of the materials at the publisher.
How do I set up an electronic classroom or order AV equipment?
You can visit SIPA's online resources for audiovisual needs. Just have the room number of the classroom handy and fill in the form online to order whatever equipment you need. There is also online training for SIPA e-rooms (electronic classrooms). Please do this as much in advance as possible to make sure the equipment you need is available in time for your class.
How do I make photocopies and course packs?
If you have material that is not suited to CourseWorks and the e-reserves in the Library, photocopying is available on the fourth floor of the IAB as well as at the Village Copier on 1181 Amsterdam Avenue and 118th St., as well as their Broadway and 112th St. location. There are several other copy shops in the campus area. They generally add a small surcharge (passed on to the student) to the actual copying and binding charges. The turnaround time here is linked to the amount of time they need to secure any copyright approval, as well as the actual processing time. The copy shop on the fourth floor will generally need 24 hours to return the copies to you. Smaller jobs and emergency copying should be brought to the DIPA office suite for processing in room 1323 IAB.
For other questions please visit SIPA's faculty information page or stop by room 1318 IAB.