- Copyright Law 17 USC Section 107, which established the "fair use" principle, states that copyrighted works may be reproduced for certain limited educational purposes without violating copyright law. This affects faculty who plan to place photocopies of copyrighted materials on reserve. McQuade Library subscribes to the belief that fair and appropriate use of published material is an obligation of the Merrimack community. As a result, we have adopted the following Copyright Policy.
- A single photocopy, or a maximum of 5 photocopies, supplied by the faculty member, of any of the following, may be placed on Course Reserves during one semester of the Academic Year under the "fair use" guidelines: a chapter from a book, a periodical or newspaper article, a short story, essay or poem, or a chart, graph, diagram, drawing, cartoons or picture from a book, periodical or newspaper.
- First time use will not require that you receive copyright permission. All items will be stamped with "Notice: This material may be protected by copyright. (Title 17, U.S. Code)". You will be required to obtain copyright permission if you plan to place the materials on reserve in future semesters.
- Second use of photocopied materials requires that copyright permission be requested. Copyright permissions are handled in the faculty member’s department. A copy of the permission request form must be submitted, along with the photocopies for Course Reserves, to the Access Services Manager. Click here for a printable version of a Sample Permission Request Letter (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader), or pick up a copy at the library Circulation desk. All items will be stamped with "Pending: Copyright Permission Granted as of __________".
- Beyond second use, copyright permission must be obtained. The Head of Circulation will keep a letter of permission on file with all photocopies and these items will be stamped "Approved: Copyright Permission Granted On ________________". Photocopies may remain on reserve for the period that permission is granted. Remember, requesting permission takes time, so please make requests early enough for the appropriate semester(s) in which you plan to use the material.
- All photocopies placed on Course Reserves by a faculty member are considered their property and will be returned at the end of the semester.
If you have any questions regarding copyright, or course reserves, please contact Kadie LaFlamme, Access Services Librarian.
