Copyright & the Classroom

Step One: Determine the copyright holder.

• For books, examine both sides of the title page for the © statement.
• For journal articles, look at the article itself or the front matter of the journal for a copyright statement.
• The copyright holder is usually either the publisher or the author.

Step Two: Determine the copyright status of the work.

• Consult Copyright Information & Resources: The Public Domain (University of Minnesota) to determine if work is in the public domain.
• If the work is in the public domain (not protected by copyright), there are no restrictions on your use.
• If the work is protected by copyright, consult the Understanding Fair Use (University of Minnesota) to determine if your use is fair or if you need to request permission.

Step Three: Request permission if needed.

• Administrative Assistants in each department can request permissions through the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) or directly from the publisher. For more information, see Section V. How to Obtain Copyright Permission on Smith College Copyright Policies.

Step Four: Make copies.

• Make copies or send copying request to Central Services.

Note: These procedures apply whether you're using the Libraries' e-reserve service or doing the work yourself.

Step One: Determine if an online copy is available

• For journal articles, link to an online version whenever possible. Then you do not need to worry about copyright. Check the Libraries' Publication Finder or availability.
• If you're submitting an e-reserves list to the Libraries, note all items available online. Do not provide copies of these items for scanning.
• If you're linking to articles yourself, put the links on your Moodle site so they are password protected. Look for a persistent link to use; this may be called a durable or stable link. Otherwise your link may be only temporary. For help, please use Ask Us.
• You may also link to other websites if you acknowledge them at the link.
• If you need to scan items, follow the steps below.

Step Two: Determine the copyright holder

• For books, examine both sides of the title page for the © statement.
• For journal articles, look at the article itself or the front matter of the journal for a copyright statement.
• The copyright holder is usually either the publisher or the author.

Step Three: Determine the copyright status

• Determine the copyright holder and year by examining both sides of the title page for a book and the actual article or front matter for a journal.
• Check the web site Copyright Information & Resources: Public Domain (University of Minnesota)
• If the work is in the public domain (not protected by copyright), there are no restrictions on your use.
• If the work is still protected by copyright, consult the Can I Use That? handout (PDF) (University of Minnesota) to determine if your use is fair of if you need to request permission.

Step Four: Request permissions if needed

• Administrative Assistants in each department can request permissions through the Copyright Clearance Center or directly from the publisher. For more information, see How to Obtain Copyright Permission.

Step Five: Submit materials to the Libraries or link items to your Moodle course

• For procedures, consult the Libraries' Course Reserves: Faculty Information page.

Questions? Contact the Grecourt Bookshop, 413-585-4140, bookorders@smith.edu.