University Libraries Copywright Policies
- University Libraries follows the normal guidelines accepted nationally and are actually conservative in interpreting copyright, fair use, and need to pay for use.
- University Libraries links wherever possible to full text we already license or to resources that are available free.
- University Libraries uses the Copyright Clearance Center for all other print materials.
- University Libraries follows the "under 15%" rule for how much can be copied.
- University Libraries follows Music Library Association guidelines for audio materials.
- University Libraries restricts e-reserve access by Penn State password and by course/instructor.
- Library absorbs copyright fees. Annual costs have risen from $50,000 per year five years ago to an estimated $75,000 - 80,000 for this current year.
- If the amount requested or the costs are too high, the Library negotiates with the professor. Usually, the professor is unaware of these costs and will modify the reading list or use course packs to pass on the costs if they are beyond what the University Libraries staff interpret as meeting fair use guidelines or what is considered a reasonable cost per course.
For information on copyright issues, please see the website of Ethical and Legal Use of Digital Media at Penn State. Here are some helpful links about materials:
- Privately Owned and Copyrighted
- Penn State Owned and Copyrighted
- Other Penn State Owned
- Penn State Site-Licensed
- Public Domain
- Shareware
- Unclear Ownership
