Copyright policy for reserves
Copyright policy for reserves
Fair Use of Copyrighted Materials for Library Reserves at The College of Wooster
The policy governing reserve materials is based on the provisions of fair use of the United States Copyright Act of 1976. Section 107 of the Copyright Act expressly permits the making of multiple print copies for classroom use. In determining fair use there are four factors to be considered:
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Purpose: the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit education purposes;
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Nature: the nature of the copyrighted work;
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Amount: the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
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Effect: the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
Purpose of Course Reserves
The College of Wooster Libraries' course reserves provide access to supplementary course materials in support of the College's academic mission. The following policy refers to materials that are copied by members of the College faculty to be placed on course reserve. It does not refer to complete works such as books, issues of journals, musical scores, etc. that are placed on reserve in their original form.
Methods of Access
Access to print reserves is in person, upon presentation of a valid College I.D. at the Andrews circulation and media desk. Access to electronic reserves for a particular course is limited to students with valid College I.D.s who are currently enrolled in that course and have received course-specific passwords from their instructors. Electronic reserves for one course are not available to students in other courses, and no electronic reserves are available to the general public.
General Procedures
- All materials placed on reserve will be at the faculty's initiative for non-commercial, educational use by students.
- All copies must include a notice of copyright: year of publication if known, name of copyright holder if known, and a full bibliographic reference (author, title, journal title or book publisher, and date). Materials submitted without a full citation will be returned to faculty for the required information.
- Whenever possible, materials to be used for reserve will be those purchased or licensed by the Libraries.
- The Libraries will not place materials on reserve if they judge that the nature, scope, or extent of the copied material is beyond the reasonable limits of fair use (one book chapter, a single journal article, etc.).
- The Libraries will not place course packs or articles included in course packs on reserve.
- The Libraries will remove print and electronic materials from the reserves systems at the end of each semester.
Electronic Reserves
Purpose
- The system will permit simultaneous use by multiple authorized users.
- Authorized users may view, download, or print copies from the system.
- On a preliminary or introductory screen the system provides a copyright notice, consistent with the notice described in section 108 of the Copyright Act:
NOTICE: The copyright law of the United States (Title 17 U.S Code) governs the making of photocopies of copyrighted materials. The person using this system is liable for any infringement.
Electronic copying and scanning of copyright-protected works for library reserve systems and distance learning are unsettled areas of the law that may be addressed in future revisions of the copyright law or through adjudication. The College of Wooster will monitor legal developments concerning fair use to ensure that the library services are in compliance with U.S. Copyright Law.
Need Further Information about the Policy?
Contact Mark Christel, Director of Libraries.