Guidelines for Reproducing Copyrighted Materials

The copyright law, in force since January 1, 1978, affects those who plan to place photocopies of copyrighted materials on reserve. The following policy has been adopted on the advice of the College counsel. These guidelines briefly summarize federal copyright laws, as they apply to copying materials for educational uses by faculty members. Please consult the Library, Information Technology, or the Academic Dean's Office if you need a more specific interpretation.

(I) WRITTEN MATERIALS

(A) COPIES FOR LIBRARY RESERVE
It is permissible to place on reserve one or more copies of copyrighted materials without the copyright owner's approval, if all three of the following apply:

  • the amount of material copied is reasonable, relative to the total amount assigned in the course (Guideline: normally no more than 10%), AND
  • the total number of pages copied is reasonable, relative to the entire work (book, journal issue, etc.) (Guideline: normally no more than 10%), AND
  • the copying meets all the tests of brevity, spontaneity, and cumulative effect as defined in (I, C) below, AND
  • the material copied includes a notice of copyright, if contained in the source.

(B) SINGLE COPIES FOR TEACHING OR RESEARCH
A single copy of the following may be made, for teaching or research purposes:

  • one chapter of a book
  • one article for a periodical or newspaper
  • one short story, short essay, or short poem
  • one chart, graph, diagram, drawing, cartoon, or picture, from a book, periodical, or newspaper.

(C) MULTIPLE COPIES FOR CLASSROOM USE
Multiple copies of materials may be made for classroom use if ALL of the following apply:

  • each copy includes a copy of the notice of copyright, usually copied from a source (book, periodical, etc.), AND
  • the copying meets all the tests of brevity, spontaneity, and cumulative effect as defined below:

(A) BREVITY

(1) Poetry

(a) complete poem (less than 250 words)
(b) excerpt (less than 250 words)

(2) Prose

(a) complete article or essay (less than 2500 words)
(b) excerpt (less than 1000 words, or less than 10% of the work, whichever is smaller)

(3) Illustrations

Only ONE per book or periodical issue

(B) SPONTANEITY
The inspiration and decision to use the work and the moment of its use are so close in time as to preclude a timely reply to a request for a permission to copy.

(C) CUMULATIVE EFFECT

(1) The copying is only for the one course.

(2) Not more that ONE poem, article, essay, or not more that TWO excerpts, from the same author are copied, for the one course, per semester.

(3) Not more than THREE poems, articles, or essays from the same collective work or periodical are copied, for the one course, per semester.

(4) Not more than NINE instances of multiple copying are made per course, per semester.

(D) PERMISSION TO COPY REQUIRED
Prior to copying, permission must be obtained from the copyright owner(s), for library reserve, classroom use, or other professional use, if ANY of the following apply:

  • the work will be consumed in the course of study or teaching (examples: workbooks, standardized test), OR
  • the copying is done to assemble the works into an anthology to be distributed to students, whether the students are to be charges or not, OR
  • students will be charged more than the cost of the photocopies.

 

NOTE
Whenever the materials submitted to the Library for copying are themselves copies, the original source must be submitted as well.

 

If you have any questions regarding copyright, please contact the Circulation Department at 508-565-1313.

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