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Course Reserves Policy and Copyright Information

Course Reserves Policy and Copyright Information

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Course Reserves Policy and Copyright Information

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Course Reserves goal is to provide Kent State faculty, students, and staff access to required and supplemental course readings and other materials while complying with  United States Copyright Law and applicable guidelines.

Quality of Materials

  • Submission of good-quality copies is highly recommended for better screen viewing and faster processing.  All submitted materials are returned to faculty after processing is completed.  Every effort is made to return all materials in their original condition.  However, circumstances may prevent the return of the materials in their original condition because of spiral binding, binding becomes loose, heavy duty staples, etc.

Required Lead Time for Processing

  • Requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.  Every effort will be made to accommodate all requests in a timely manner.  Because of the high volume of incoming requests at the beginning of each semester, faculty are encouraged to submit materials as early as possible.

Copyright Guidelines, Fair Use, and TEACH Act

  • Staff reserves the right to decline requests judged to exceed fair use or TEACH Act exemptions of U.S. Copyright Law.  Course Reserves will routinely monitor this policy and make every effort to ensure that UL is in compliance with U.S. Copyright Law, applicable guidelines, and best practices.

Copyright Clearance Fees

  • Course Reserves makes every effort to minimize copyright clearance costs.  Links to licensed full-text electronic resources may be provided in lieu of a PDF.  This may require students to authenticate for off-campus access
  • Student enrollment for each course is required for Course Reserves to determine copyright fees.  
  • Subject Librarians are available to assist in locating alternative, similar materials with lower or no copyright clearance costs.

Copyright Clearance Denials

  • Course Reserves staff will notify faculty via email regarding refusal of the publisher to grant copyright clearance.  After faculty are notified of copyright denial, material will be removed from the course.  Faculty may discuss other options with Course Reserves or seek the assistance of Subject Librarians in locating alternative materials.

Original Works by Faculty

  • Faculty authorship does not automatically indicate faculty copyright ownership of articles published in scholarly journals or of chapters contributed to books or encyclopedias. Course Reserves  will seek copyright permissions unless proof of ownership can be provided.

Original Works by Students

  • Kent State students own the copyright to any original works produced for classes.  These materials are subject to the same copyright guidelines as published materials.  UL requires copyright permission in the form of a waiver to be signed by the student after the first semester's use or if the amount of the material is judged to exceed fair use.  If no copyright permission is obtained by faculty from students, faculty may be held liable for copyright infringement.  For more information, see Copyright for Student Authors.