Copyright

Educators may make limited copies of copyrighted material for classroom use under Fair Use. However, there are no hard rules. Courts often consider:

• Amount used: A small portion of a larger work is more likely to qualify
• Purpose: Teaching, commentary, or critique favors fair use
• Market effect: Copying that replaces sales or licensing is less likely to qualify

Suggested Limits for making copies follow. 

These limits are based on the 1976 Agreement on Guidelines for Classroom Copying and remain widely referenced in educational settings. They are not law, but they help define “reasonable” copying practices for instructors. If items are used repeatedly, permission may be required.

• One copy per student, made at the teacher’s initiative
• A single article, chapter, short story, or essay
• No copying consumables like workbooks or answer sheets
• Use must be spontaneous—not enough time to request permission
• No cost to students beyond actual photocopying expense

Faculty may request that the Library place a photocopy on reserve for student use. Reserve use can support fair use under certain conditions, but repeated use or extensive copying may require permission.

• One article, chapter, or excerpt per course per semester
• Reserve copy must be provided by the instructor or made with permission
• Item is removed at the end of the term unless permission covers ongoing use

Rather than making copies, we recommend using a permalink to a library database article when available.