9.4.2 Copyright Policy

The Copyright Law of the United State (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Included in the copyright law is the concept of "fair use."

All aspects of copyright law, especially the "fair use" aspects, are complicated and open to multiple interpretations. Individuals who have questions concerning copyright guidelines may consult the copyright law and related copyright materials at the library. Ultimately, however, individuals with copyright questions should consult legal counsel before copying the works of others.

1. Teachers May Not

A teacher MAY NOT (and by extension a library or other staff person for a teacher, where applicable, MAY NOT):

1. Make multiple copies of a work for classroom use if it has already been copied for another class in the same institution.
2. Make multiple copies of a short poem, article, story, or essay from the same author more than once in a class term or make multiple copies from the same collective work or periodical issue more than three times a term.
3. Make multiple copies of works more than nine times in the same class term.
4. Make multiple copies long in advance of the actual use of those copies.
5. Make multiple copies at the suggestion or direction of another individual.
6. Make (distribute) any copy of material that does not contain a notice-of-copyright.
7. Make multiple copies for distribution that do not contain (individually) a notice-of-copyright.
8. Make a copy or copies that imply or attribute an ownership position to the library.
9. Make copies for private reserve files, departmental reserve collections, or general library units if the cumulative effect exceeds the guidelines in the same class term.
10. Make a single copy or multiple copies of any item for use from term to term.
11. Make a copy of works to take the place of an anthology.
12. Make a copy (copies) for charge in excess of costs.
13. Direct students to make copies from either an original item or a copy of that item for any course.
14. Make a copy of "consumable" materials, such as workbooks.
2. Teachers May

For purposes of scholarly research, teaching, or preparation for teaching, a teacher MAY make a SINGLE COPY of the following:

1. A chapter from a book.
2. An article from a periodical or newspaper.
3. A short story, a short essay, or short poem, whether or not from a collected work.
4. A chart, graph, diagram, drawing, cartoon, or picture from a book, periodical, or newspaper.

For purposes of classroom use ONLY, a teacher MAY make MULTIPLE COPIES (not to exceed one copy per student in a class) of the following:

1. A complete poem less than 250 words long and printed on not more than two pages.
2. An excerpt of less than 250 words from a longer poem.
3. A complete article, story, or essay of less than 2,500 words.
4. An excerpt of less than 1,000 words or 10% (whichever is less) of a prose work.
5. One chart, graph, diagram, drawing, cartoon, or picture per book or periodical.