Copyright, Fair Use, and Course Reserves

Copyright and Fair Use

Instructors are responsible for compliance with copyright and fair use of course materials as well as for adhering to license agreements for SHU Library-licensed eResources.

In consideration of the fair use exception to U.S. copyright law, limited portions of a work can be placed on eReserve. The Library does not purchase materials for course reserves. Instructors are encouraged to draw course materials from the Library’s physical or online collections. 

Readings should not remain available to students on eReserve longer than one semester without copyright permission. Refer to explanations of “Fair Use” for more information. Being that fair use laws are discretionary, it is recommended that faculty use a fair use checklist for proper evaluation of a resource.

To avoid possible copyright infringement, faculty are encouraged to utilize the Library Resource Builder tool (see below).

Adding eReserves to course shell
Creating persistent links or permalinks is the recommended method for linking to library material from your online course. Visit our Persistent Links guide or watch our video tutorial to help get started.

Materials not owned by SHU Library

If a resource is not available through the library’s physical collection or subscription databases, it is the responsibility of the faculty member to obtain the item and post it to their online course. If a faculty member has access to a resource through other means, it is their responsibility to post those resources on Blackboard as well.

The decision to post items obtained outside of SHU library's collections is solely that of the faculty member. 

The library will offer support and resources to evaluate fair use but is not liable for challenged materials. For help with determining copyright restrictions and evaluating fair use, more information can be found on the library's Fair Use page.

Materials (physical) owned by SHU Library

Materials owned on campus may be made available electronically to SHU students and faculty engaged in long distance education. 

In accordance with U.S. Copyright Law, the library will scan journal articles or acceptable portions of print books owned by the library. Scanned PDF files will be emailed directly to faculty.