The purpose of this guide is to give you easy access to information, resources, and tools to help you understand how copyright law impacts the daily work of library staff. The hope is that you'll use this to find out how copyright governs some of our processes and services and learn more about this fascinating subject. To be clear, this guide does not replace College or Library policies, nor does it tell you how to do aspects of your job. For more official copyright guidance, please view:

How to use this guide.

Learn more about the basics of copyright law, get background information, and find useful copyright tools on the Home page. Then use the tabs to find out how copyright interacts with specific departments' or positions' work.  If you wish to share copyright resources with others outside the Library, please direct them to:

Remember, don't give legal advice.

When discussing copyright with a student, staff, or faculty member, always preface your comments by letting them know that you cannot and are not providing legal advice. Providing legal advice is illegal (unauthorized practice of law). If you are using written communication for the discussion, this could be as simple as stating, "Please note that I am not a lawyer, and I cannot give legal advice."

Learn about U.S. copyright law is by watching the Copyright Office's "What is Copyright?" video (5 min).

The U.S. Copyright Office has created a "Learning Engine Video Series" to help familiarize you with some of the basic concepts of copyright. Video topics include:

• Copyright on the Internet
• Fair Use
• What Is the Public Domain?
• Debunking Common Copyright Myths
• Copyright and Educational Uses