The Library supports the college in its affirmation that all members of the Hood Community share the responsibility to comply with the Copyright Laws of the United States of America.
This information does not cover every eventuality or address every aspect of copyright. For further questions, please contact a librarian.
Link: Whenever possible, link to the resources you are using as opposed to uploading them to your Blackboard site. This standard also applies to items in the library’s collections. Be sure to use a permalink, or permanent link.
Specific Considerations
Works in the Public Domain: Works in the public domain are always safe to link to, as well as upload. If you are not sure if a work is the public domain, contact the library.
Instructor is the Rightsholder: If you as the instructor are the rightsholder, you are free to link or upload as you wish. Note: if the work has been published, review the publication agreement you signed to verify you still have permission to share. This includes lecture notes, PowerPoints, and other instructional materials you have created.
Interlibrary Loan: If you have obtained electronic resources though interlibrary loan, the determination about sharing the item should be made by following Fair Use* guidelines.
What About Fair Use?
There are no absolute rules as to how much of a copyrighted work may be copied and still be considered fair use. When determining whether a use case qualifies as fair use, there are four factors to consider, and ALL four must be considered. It is not enough to determine the work is being used for teaching at a nonprofit institution and disregard the other factors. The factors are:
Purpose & Character of Use: Is the item being used for teaching or scholarship? Is it being used by a nonprofit institution?
Nature of the Work: Nonfiction vs. Fiction/creative, published vs. unpublished. You have more leeway to copy from factual works than creative works, and from published works than unpublished works.
Amount & Substantiality of the Portion Used: The less you use, the more likely you can justify fair use. Note: there are no finite, recommended percentages for this factor.
Effect on the Market: Would the usage deprive the copyright holder of profit from the sale of the item? Could your use replace the potential sale of an item?
The American Library Association, ALA, has provided this checklist for help determining whether or not a the copying of a resource might be considered fair use. If you have any additional questions, please contact a librarian.