USC Libraries electronic reserves service complies with the guidelines for photocopied or scanned material established by copyright law as interpreted by the University Counsel.
Copyright Statement
"The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research". If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use", that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law."
For additional information please see the U.S. Copyright Law of the United states. The following outlines our copyright policies regarding materials placed on reserve.
In order to operate within the guidelines of "fair use" while striving to provide access to research materials, IDD' maintains copyright policies for Reserves requests.
Copyright and Physical Reserves
Physical items such as books or DVDs placed on reserve do not need any form of copyright or publisher authorization. To place a physical item on reserve, you will need to submit the request on Course Reserves which is routed to the designated reserve desk. USC-owned material will be pulled from the shelves after a request for the physical reserve is submitted.
An instructor can submit their own personal copy to be placed on reserve or request for USC-owned material to be placed on reserve. Please keep in mind that personal books/DVDs are used by your students and normal wear and tear may occur. USC Libraries assumes no liability for damage to personal items placed on reserve. If you are dropping off a physical item to be placed on reserve, you will be asked to complete a Drop-Off form. Please see Physical Reserves Locations for details.
Please note that if neither a personal copy is provided or if the item is not owned by USC, you can still place the request and select the option to be considered for purchase and added to USC Libraries' collection. Please note that we can only consider an acquisition of a title if it is available as an e-book. If an electronic version is not available, Acquisitions will consider purchasing a physical copy.
Copyright and Electronic Reserves
In addition to placing physical books on reserve, Course Reserves allows instructors to post or link digital copies of articles and book chapters. If the instructor does not have the file or link, they can request to obtain a copy. Details can be found here.
Instructors may also upload digital copies to their course. In order to comply with copyright guidelines for instructional use, digital and photocopies submitted must include the title and copyright page information of either the book from which it was copied or the journal from which the article is found. You can find this information on the reverse of the title page on the book or on the publication information of the journal article. Posting of the materials will be delayed if the copyright statement is not included.
Our copyright guidelines for article and book chapter requests are as follows:
- Article: no more than two articles from a single issue of a periodical or journal can be posted
- Book Chapters: no more then two chapters from a single work or 15% from the book (whichever is less)
Please note that we cannot scan an entire book or copyrighted publication, or post an electronic copy of an entire work. We can, however, post links to full-text works that are available through USC Libraries e-resources or otherwise freely available online.
Other Eligible Material for Electronic Reserves
Material that can be posted on Course Reserves without copyright information include:
- Syllabi
- Sample tests
- Sample test answers
- Answer key to questions
- Class Notes
If you are unsure if copyright information is needed please contact us or call (213) 740-4020