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Copyright Guide

Best Practices

Follow these best practices when using works protected by copyright for teaching.

Contact Information: If you have questions, please contact Peggy Burge.

Use Lawfully Acquired Materials

Use lawfully acquired copies of materials, (e.g., items you or the institution purchased, obtained through interlibrary loan, or licensed). Do not use pirated or illegally copied materials.

 

Display Copyright Notice & Attribution

Include the following information in Canvas and the syllabus:

Copyright Notice: Course materials are for educational purposes only and limited to students enrolled in the course. They are protected by copyright law and may not be copied, downloaded, stored, transmitted, shared or changed in any way.

Complete citation to the original material

Use a Link

When posting electronic works that are licensed by the library or with a Creative Commons license, use a durable link (sometimes called persistent or stable) for articles from library databases whenever possible.

Contact your liaison librarian if you would like assistance with linking to library licensed resources.

Limit Access and Amount

Access to copyrighted materials must be limited to students currently enrolled in the course.

Copyrighted electronic materials should be available for a prescribed time period only.

In general, it is a good idea to use only the amount of a work that is needed to achieve your pedagogical goals.

Assess Your Use

Establish whether the source is protected by copyright or there is a Creative Commons License. If the work is in the public domain or a government publication, you may use it freely.

If the source is protected by copyright, conduct a fair use analysis using the checklist and keep a copy for your records. If it doesn't comply with fair use, ask for permission.