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Reserves Copyright Guidelines

1. Books or Media - Small selections of books may be placed on Electronic Reserve [see below]. If multiple selections [chapters] are needed, the entire book will be placed on Reserve. Instructors may place their personal copies of books on Reserve. Videos, DVDs and other nonprint media (either owned by JMU Libraries or by the instructor) may be placed on Reserve in the East Campus Library or at Media Resources in Carrier Library.   JMU Libraries assume no liability for materials that are lost or damaged. If neither the library nor the instructor owns the item needed, instructors must work with the Liaison Librarian assigned to their department to determine whether these materials may be acquired.

2. Periodicals - Small selections of current/bound/microfiche/microfilm periodicals may be placed on Electronic Reserve [see below]. The hard copies of periodicals owned by the library cannot be placed on reserve. Instructors may place their personal copies of periodicals on Reserve for which the library will assume no liability.

3. Electronic Reserves - The Fair Use provisions in Copyright Law [Title 17, US Code, Section 107] are broad in scope and can be difficult to understand and apply. For this reason the library has developed working guidelines for electronic reserves. The following can be placed on electronic reserve for ONE semester without obtaining Copyright permission:

  • The equivalent of a chapter from a book.
  • The equivalent of an article from a periodical issue.
  • Most electronic sources leased by the library.
  • Most freely available online documents.
  • Government publications.
  • Exams, homework solutions, lecture notes, etc.
  • Any work for which you own the copyright.
  • Any work in the public domain or having a suitable Creative Commons license.

If you wish to place more than the equivalent of one chapter or article from a book or periodical on Electronic Reserve you must first seek copyright permission from the publisher. The Copyright Clearance Center offers a quick and convenient method of obtaining this permission for a fee. JMU Libraries cannot place material on Electronic Reserve for consecutive semesters without documented copyright permission.  Materials obtained through Interlibrary Loan or otherwise not owned by JMU Libraries or the instructor CANNOT be placed on reserve.

4. Purchased reprints and consumables - Reprints and consumables [workbooks, exercises, published tests, answer sheets, etc] may be purchased and placed on Reserve. No photocopies may be made from either and they cannot be placed on Electronic Reserve.

5. Course Packets - Course packets purchased by students are considered to be for their personal use and may not be placed on Reserve.