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Copyright Guidelines for Placing Copies of Material on Reserves

These guidelines are based upon interpretations of Title 17, "Copyrights" of the United States Code and are intended to serve as minimum standards for placing reproduced copies ("copies") of items, for which copyrighted original and/or commercially available items exist, on library reserve. Specific exceptions/restrictions may apply that are not covered herein in entirety, and faculty should consult with the supervisor of the Library Reserve Unit and the Head of Library Access Services. Faculty are encouraged to seek permission from copyright holders for possible exceptions to these guidelines.

General Policy

Placing copies of copyrighted original commercially available material on reserve cannot:
a) generate the effect of negating the commercial sale of the material.
b) violate copyright law, whether or not the material is commercially available.

General Provisions

a) copies on reserve status cannot serve as a substitute for the purchase of materials that are commercially available.
b) copies of material that is commercially available cannot be continuously maintained on reserve.
c) copies of material that remains protected by copyright but is not commercially available cannot be continuously maintained on reserve status.

The "Fair Use" provision of the Copyright Law (Sections 107) allows copies of copyrighted original commercially available material items to be placed on library reserve under specified circumstances. The following provisions are intended to ensure adherence to the fair use doctrine and apply to copies of items intended for library reserve in the Meriam Library:

I. Print Format

A) Chapters from books:
1. 1 chapter from books with 5 or fewer chapters.
2. 3 chapters from books with 6 or more chapters.
B) 1 article from a newspaper.
C) 1 article from a periodical or compilation (annual review, festschrift, anthology, etc.).
D) 1 short story, essay, poem by one author(s) whether or not from a collective work.
 E) 1 chart, graph, diagram, drawing, cartoon, picture from a book, periodical or newspaper.

II. Nonprint Format (Audio. Visual. Audiovisual)

The copied portion intended for library reserve must constitute an excerpt of the original work and cannot encompass the majority of the original work in length or scope. Consequently, a copy of the original in its entirety cannot be placed on library reserve. Television: Exceptions apply to recordings from commercial television. Television recordings may include an entire telecast, but (except for news broadcasts) are restricted to a maximum of 10 days on reserve status.

Time Limitation
Copies of items commercially available and/or copyrighted (without permission of copyright holder) cannot remain on reserve for consecutive semesters, including summer terms.

Copyright Notice
A notice of copyright must be placed at the beginning of the copied material if the material is covered by copyright protection.

Further Information? Please contact the Head of Library Access Services (530-898-6675) for further statutory and interpretative information on copying for library reserve.

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