What are course reserves?
Course reserves are a convenient way for faculty to make supplemental course readings available to the entire class. The reserve desk is located in the Mudd Library. Electronic reserves, accessible from any computer connected to the campus network, are managed by the Mudd Library Circulation Department.
What may I put on reserve?
A faculty member may place on reserve personal or library copies of books, sound recordings, and music scores.
Generally, an instructor may place on reserve his/her copy of a photocopied article for student use, with the understanding that the copy was lawfully made and does not infringe upon the copyright holder's rights.
Reproductions of printed materials do not require permission of the copyright holder if the material meets the brevity and spontaneity tests. Brevity is defined as either a complete article, story, or essay of less than 2,500 words or an excerpt from any prose work of not more than 1,000 words or 10% of the work, whichever is less. A minimum of 500 words is allowed in all circumstances. To meet the test of spontaneity, the copying must be done at the request of the teacher, and the decision to use the copyrighted work must be done so close to the time needed that it would be unreasonable to expect a timely reply to a request for permission to copy from the work. In the case of musical scores, excerpts can be made provided that the excerpts do not comprise a part of the whole, which would constitute a performable unit such as a section, movement, aria, or song.
Under no circumstance will the library place on reserve a professor-created anthology or course pack of readings, unless the anthology has been created with the permission of the copyright holders or the materials are no longer subject to copyright law. Photocopied works in notebooks may be construed as anthologies, so professors are urged not to use notebooks to organize reserve materials unless such material is not copyrighted. Anthologies may also be defined as video clips from various copyrighted works placed on one videotape and audio recordings of various works placed on one cassette or CD.
The library will place on reserve only one copy of a textbook adopted for class purchase.
If an item to be placed on reserve exceeds fair use guidelines, the library and the instructor will determine together whether to purchase an authorized copy or seek copyright permission for the unauthorized copy. The library will seek the permission and pay the associated fees. If the copyright holder denies permission, the library will remove the copy from reserve immediately.
How many copies may I put on reserve?
Multiple photocopies may be placed on reserve subject to the following guidelines:
| 0-25 students | not more than two copies |
| 26+ students | not more than three copies |
If more than three (3) copies of a particular photocopied work are needed for reserve, the library will register the use with the Copyright Clearance Center, even if the use is the first time. This has financial implications for the institution and will be done under special conditions only.
The effect of photocopying the material should not be detrimental to the market for the work. In general, the library should own at least one copy of the item. No more than two chapters from the same book, or two articles from a periodical are considered reasonable.
All photocopied items or electronic versions must contain the proper notice of copyright on the first page of each reproduction. The notice shall read: "NOTICE: This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code.)." All photocopied items or electronic versions must contain proper bibliographic citation. This must consist of enough information so that the reader could locate the work in its original.
May I put audio or video recordings on reserve?
Authorized copies (i.e., legally purchased) copies of videocassettes, DVDs, audiocassettes, and compact disks can be placed on reserve. However...
Off-air recordings of television broadcasts will be placed on reserve if the producer has granted permission. The library will not place on reserve a professor-copied commercially produced videotape or an off-air recording of a television program. An off-air recording of a television broadcast may be used by the teacher only once in the course of relevant teaching activities and can be shown only once more to the class as instructional reinforcement.
The library will not place on reserve unauthorized copies (i.e. instructor produced) of audio cassettes or compact discs, including instructor created anthologies, unless the instructor has written permission from the copyright holder for each recording and each piece of music.
Will the library put materials on electronic reserve?
The library will provide digitized versions of copyrighted journal articles on the electronic reserve system if the copyright holder has granted permission to do so. The library will obtain such permissions and pay the copyright royalties for these electronic copies. Decisions about which readings to digitize for electronic reserve will be made in consultation with the faculty member teaching the course. Electronic files will be removed from the reserve system when they are no longer used for reserve services.
16 May 2000