The United States copyright law (Title 17, United States Code) sets strict limits on the making of copies of copyrighted works. Knowingly exceeding these limits may subject the copier to liability damages for infringement. The Mulva Library follows copyright law as it pertains to the library to the best of our ability. It is also our intention to inform the college community of copyright law so that the Mulva Library at St. Norbert College may uphold copyright policy in the spirit in which it was written. Library staff are copyright advisors, rather than experts, and this information is provided solely to inform faculty and instructors of the current guidelines. It will be the responsibility of the faculty member/instructor to secure copyright permission for certain materials.
"Fair Use" exemptions were written into Copyright Law to provide certain privileges to educational institutions. It is our intention to assist faculty members and instructors in comprehending these provisions and upholding them to the best of our ability.
Copyright exists from the moment a work is created, whether or not a copyright notice appears on the actual work. It is best policy to assume a work is copyrighted unless you can prove it exists in the public domain. It is always wise to acknowledge the copyright holder.
Four Standards to Evaluate Fair Use
The purpose and character of the use.
The nature of the copyrighted work.
The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole.
The effect of use on the potential market for or value of the work.
All members of the SNC community are expected to abide by copyright law.
Folks need to review and understand when material is in the public domain as well as the standards for evaluating fair use. Although we are an educational institution, fair use is not automatic. When in doubt, seek permission from the copyright holder.
Library staff encourage the use of already-licensed online content, openly licensed, and public domain alternatives.
Find open educational resources to remix for your courses.
Course Reserves
It is always acceptable to put books, videos, or other original material on reserve in the library for students to use. Links to electronic items should be shared with your class via Canvas, where material is password protected.
Journal and periodical articles
Link to articles and journals from library databases whenever possible.
Book Chapters
Link to e-books from the library catalog whenever possible.
Photocopies
Should be made from the original publication and be legible. Include a complete citation on the first page.
Copyright Notice on Title Page
The student should place a copyright notice on the thesis in order to protect the thesis from being copied and distributed (in paper form or electronically) by someone other than St. Norbert College. A copyright notice consists of :
1. the symbol “c” with a circle around it © and/or the word “copyright”
2. year of publication
3. name of the copyright owner
4. words “All rights reserved”
The copyright notice should be placed on the title page.
Example: © 2011 Jane Doe. All rights reserved.
Copyright waiver
When copyright is held by the student, the student must grant royalty-free permission to the College in order to reproduce and publicly distribute the copies of the thesis. This allows the College to interlibrary loan a copy of the thesis to other students, researchers and faculty. This waiver is only for St. Norbert College, no other party. All other parties must comply with copyright law. The student must place the following statement on the thesis title page: “The author hereby grants to St. Norbert College permission to reproduce and distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole or in part.”