Q. If my department puts a book on reserve are we responsible if a student copies the whole book?

No, the person making the copies is responsible. Copyright law states that:

The library or archives will not be liable for copyright infringement when a patron makes copies using unsupervised reproducing equipment located on its premises, provided that the equipment displays a notice that the making of a copy may be subject to the copyright law.

Just so you know, our copier and scanner both have copyright notices so that students are aware:

Notice: The copyright law of the United States (Title 17 U.S. Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The person using this equipment is liable for any infringement.

You can find out more and try our interactive tools to find out if the work you want to use is protected under copyright, fair use or educational exceptions in our Copyright & Fair Use for Faculty guide.