AISR Policy on Reserves
In the course of their teaching duties, faculty, staff and students
of Thomas Jefferson University may wish to use copies of materials in
the classroom or on instructional Web sites. Under U.S. copyright law,
Thomas Jefferson University must honor the exclusive rights of copyright
owners in connection with all materials used in the fulfillment of its
mission, whether photocopied, posted on a University Web server, or
reproduced and distributed in another medium or format. While copyright
owners retain the exclusive rights, the rights are limited by the concept
of fair use. Such fair use rights constitute a balance, in part, between
the exclusive intellectual property rights of copyright owners and the
educational or research uses of copyrighted works in a nonprofit educational
setting
Guidelines Available for Determination of Fair Use
AISR adheres to generally-accepted guidelines in use by libraries throughout
the United States. We use these guidelines for our own courses, and
whenever we are asked to reproduce material for other Jefferson courses.
The guidelines are advisory only. If you believe that you need to use
materials that are beyond the allowances in the guidelines, but that
your use still falls under the definition of "fair use," we
suggest that you contact Jefferson's University Counsel for a determination
of what is appropriate. Many excellent resources about copyright interpretation
are available online at other universities, and JEFFLINE provides links
to them. Be aware, however, that matters of law are subject to interpretation,
and University Counsel is the source of authoritative information for
Thomas Jefferson University.
When You Need to Get Permission or Pay
If you intend to use or reproduce copyrighted material in ways that
exceed fair use or other exemptions, then you are responsible for obtaining
permission from the copyright holder before reproducing the material.
AISR provides a sample letter for requesting such permission, can assist
you in identifying the copyright holder, and can assist you with payment
of fees to the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC). However, AISR cannot
provide funding for the payment of copyright fees.
