Copyright Notice
Copyright laws were enacted to protect the owner of a work and encourage creativity by providing financial incentive to produce more. This right allows the copyright holder to control and authorize the reproduction of his or her work. Therefore, individuals wishing to use photocopied copyrighted material must obtain permission form the copyright holder in order to distribute the material electronically, in the classroom, or to place material on reserve if that material does not fall under the fair use provision of the U.S. Copyright Act (Title 17 U.S. Code Section 107).
Fair Use
Fair use laws are enacted, in part, to give limited access to materials. All four of these factors are considered in determining whether use of a copyrighted work is "fair use."
- The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
- The nature of the copyrighted work
- The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
- The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work
Faculty members who have had material on reserve for one academic term or semester and wish to use it again or would like to place something new on reserve that does not fall under the category of fair use, will need to provide the library with proof of permission. However, faculty members can facilitate this process by obtaining the copyright permission from the publisher. Permission may be obtained by logging on to http://www.copyright.com or calling (978) 750-8400.
Reserves Copyright Policies
- Any original book that has been purchased by the C. G. O'Kelly Library or the instructor may be placed on reserve without regard to copyright. These items can stay on reserve as long as the instructor wants them to be on reserve.
- Any work for which the copyright has expired or any publication of the federal government may be copied without restriction.
- The Reserve unit will accept only five (5) copies of a title or article which is to be placed on reserve. A photocopy will stay on active reserve for only one term (semester or summer session).
- Items that have been photocopied by faculty will be returned to the faculty member at the end of each semester.
- No more than three (3) poems, articles, essays, or excerpts may be copied from the same collective work or periodical volume during one class term.
- If a faculty member wishes to use reserve materials repeatedly or for consecutive semesters for the same class, signed statements of compliance for each source from the publisher must be supplied with the items.
- It is the instructor's responsibility to obtain permission from copyright owners when needed for any photocopies supplied, and appropriate citations and attributions to the source must be noted.
- The effect of photocopying the material for reserve should not be detrimental to the market of the work. (In other words, the library should own a copy of the work if it is in-print and available for purchase.)
- Access will be limited to authenticated WSSU users.
- Copyright notice will appear on screen in the E-reserves system and on copies made of reserve readings to indicate that materials may be covered by copyright law. Appropriate citations or attributions to their sources will be included for all electronic files.
