Library Policy #32: Policy on Electronic Reserve Service

This policy establishes guidelines and procedures for the usage of electronic reserve materials and software.

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The electronic reserve format allows faculty and staff to make most course materials available via the World Wide Web and library homepage 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The electronic copy is not subject to theft or physical damage. Electronic documents are accessible to many viewers simultaneously. Materials in many formats may be placed on electronic reserve by college faculty and staff.

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3.1 Who is eligible for the service

Electronic reserve service is for the educational use of College of Charleston students and faculty.

3.2 Password Protection

A password is necessary in order to protect copyrighted materials. Normally each class will have one password for the entire course page, however, individual documents may receive an individual password. The password is assigned and distributed by the faculty. The password will be kept on file in the circulation department. Access is password-protected and limited to the instructor and the students enrolled in the course.

3.3 Web Access

Students and faculty will receive access to all electronic reserve materials using a connection to the campus network. Students using a commercial or alternate provider may encounter technical reasons, usually conflicts with authentication software, that prevent them from accessing some databases.

3.4 Printing

Students may print documents from laser printers in the Addlestone Library, in the Academic Computing Centers or from any other printer.

3.5 Persons with Visual Disabilities

Persons with visual disabilities may access the electronic reserves using Jaws for Windows which is available in enclosed carrels for the disabled and in the computing centers at the library and at the J. C. Long Building.

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4.1 Identification and Selection of Titles for Reserve

The Circulation Department requests reserve lists prior to the beginning of the semester, however, faculty may add materials at any time during the semester.

4.2 Formats and Materials

4.2.1 What May Be Placed on Reserve

Faculty may place book chapters, portions of class readers, journal articles, audiovisuals, microcomputer software, the instructor's own syllabus, lecture notes, problem sets/solutions, sample exams, materials in the public domain, and links to electronic information on reserve.

4.2.2 College of Charleston Library Materials

Faculty may request journal articles, a single chapter, poem or essay from a book or reasonable portions of items owned by the College of Charleston library that are within the guidelines of the copyright law. Faculty who bring the items to the circulation department will receive priority for processing.

4.2.3 How Can Materials Be Transferred?

In most cases, an electronic format is the preferred format. Electronic formats include e-mail attachments, computer disks, or zip disks. For Word, Word Perfect, Power Point, and Excel documents, version 7.0 or earlier is the most compatible. Power Point presentations may be placed on electronic reserve.

4.2.4 Paper Format

Copies should be 8 ½" x 11" paper, single sided. The copy should be the best copy available. Documents scan best if they are typed or written clearly in black on white paper. Some handwritten notes or problem solutions cannot be placed on reserve because they are illegible after scanning. Scanned documents create large files and may cause downloading and/or printing problems for some users. We recommend that the length of a single item consist of no more than 25 pages.

4.2.5 Personal Items

Faculty may place syllabi, course notes, exams, answer sets, student papers and other unpublished materials on electronic reserves.

4.2.6 Web/Electronic Formats

If the library has electronic access to an item, either an electronic link or an electronic address will be provided in the reserve record. The full URL or address is needed for the electronic link. In cases such as the Lexis-Nexis and other databases with impermanent URLs, a link to the database search screen will be provided.

4.3 Processing

Most materials will be placed on electronic reserves within three days. However more time may be necessary for the following:

• Requests submitted during the first three weeks of classes
• Requests with incomplete or incorrect citations
• Materials that are not owned by faculty or in the libraries' collections
• Requests not accompanied by materials
• Requests for items that have poor document quality

To ensure that materials will be on reserve for the first day of class, faculty should submit their requests two weeks prior to the beginning of the semester.

Materials will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Last minute accommodations are dependent upon equipment and staff availability. Faculty should not ask students to deliver and wait to use the materials that have just been received. Library staff will scan materials for faculty who do not want to control their own accounts. (For information on setting up an account and faculty control of course e-reserves, see section 9 of this policy.) In order to produce the best image, the library staff will need the best quality copy. Library staff will make every effort to reduce the "size" of the document so that it will load quickly.

Faculty may submit requests using the Web form which is available at the electronic reserve Web site - http://www.cofc.edu/~library/forms/eresform.html
If faculty wish to expedite request, they may send documents via e-mail or by bringing materials directly to the circulation department.

4.4 Removing Items from Electronic Reserves

All electronic reserves will be removed at the end of the semester. Subsequent use of copyrighted materials will require copyright permissions. Faculty are responsible for notifying the circulation staff to reactivate course materials.

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5.1 Materials Not Subject to Copyright Law

The following types of materials may be placed on reserve without obtaining
Copyright permission:

• Sample exams
• Lecture notes
• Course syllabus
• Problem sets/solutions
• Student papers
• Government publications

5.2 "Fair Use"

5.2.1 U. S. Copyright Law

The library policy for electronic reserve services is derived from the fair use provisions of the United States Copyright Act of 1976. Section 107 of the Copyright Act permits the making of multiple copies for classroom use. The fair use guidelines of the U. S. copyright law permit the making of copies for classroom use provided that the circumstances of the use are fair as assessed within the following considerations:

• The purpose and character of the work;
• The nature of the copyrighted work;
• The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted use as a whole;
• The effect of the use upon the potential market of the copyrighted work.

5.2.2 Materials Considered to Be "Fair Use"

The first time use of the following materials falls within the guidelines of the "fair use"

• One article from a journal issue
• One chapter, essay or less than 10% of the content of the book
• A selection (10% or less) from non-print works such as media, music and/or a collection of images.

5.2.3 Rationale

The collections of the College of Charleston libraries are purchased by the College for the nonprofit educational use of students and faculty. All library materials are acquired with the understanding that there will be multiple uses of a limited number of copies. Libraries frequently pay a premium institutional subscription price for journals, that is many times the individual subscription price, for the privilege of supporting multiple academic users. The sole purpose of the electronic reserve system is to facilitate access for classroom use by students. Considered within this context, electronic reserve services can be developed by the College of Charleston libraries in a manner that conforms to the plain language of the fair use provisions of the copyright law.

5.2.4 Materials which are ineligible for Electronic Reserves

The following materials may not be placed on electronic reserves: coursepacks, materials extracted from consumable workbooks which students would normally be expected to purchase, copyrighted materials that do not include a complete citation or clear indication of copyright ownership. Maps, physical objects, audio visual formats for which there is no available hardware/equipment, software, original documents, and books in toto are not candidates for electronic reserves.

5.3 Copyright Permission

Copyright permission must be obtained:

• When an article is needed for more than one semester
• When multiple articles from the same journal are needed
• When one chapter of a book is needed for more than one semester
• When multiple chapters from a book are needed

5.4 General Procedures to Comply with the Copyright Law

• All use of materials placed on electronic reserves will be at the initiative of faculty solely for the non-commercial, education usage by students.
• Whenever possible, materials to be copied or scanned for electronic reserves will be purchased by the library.
• Longer works such as complete books will not be copied for electronic reserve or regular reserve service.
• There will be no charge for access; the College reserves the right to charge for copies which will be limited to the nominal cost of photocopies or laser prints.
• The copyright notice will appear on the screen on the online reserve system and on copies made of reserve readings to indicate that materials may be covered by the copyright law.
• Materials on electronic reserve will be accessible only by faculty name, course name, and by course number. In the future, other measures may be introduced to assure that only students in the class have access to reserve materials for the respective course.
• Electronic files will be removed from the reserve system when they are no longer used for reserve services.
• The library will follow the principles of Fair Use when placing materials on reserve.
• The College has registered with the U. S. Copyright office and named a designated agent to comply with the Digital Millenium Copyright Act.

5.5 Copyright Permission Fees

The library will endeavor to assist in the permission process. This means the library staff will write the permission letter or contact the Copyright Clearinghouse to obtain permission to use materials which are not covered by the fair use provisions of the U. S. copyright law. Generally, the library will pay a permission fee of up to $25.00 per item. If the fee is over $25.00, the item will not be placed on reserve unless the professor or the academic department pays the additional cost.

5.6 Future Copyright Issues

The electronic copying and scanning of copyright-protected works for library reserve service are unsettled areas of the law which may be addressed by the Supreme Court or in the future revisions of the copyright law. The professional staff of the College of Charleston libraries will continually monitor legal developments which may affect the fair use interpretation of electronic reserves services to ensure that library services are in compliance with the letter and spirit of the United States Copyright law.

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There are natural limits to the quantity of materials that the students are able to read and the staff is able to process without compromising services to other faculty. Faculty may place up to 25 items on electronic reserves per course. Each item is limited to 50 pages. If some items are slightly over this limit, an aggregate figure of 1,250 pages per course per semester can be substituted for the per item page limit.

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7.1 Faculty Controlled Electronic Reserves

Since the electronic reserves software is 100% point-and-click, faculty may want to manage their own electronic reserves. If this is the case, faculty upon signing a copyright release form, may apply for a management account.

7.1.1 Copyright Issues

Faculty who manage their own electronic reserves account are responsible for complying with the United States copyright law including writing for, paying, and obtaining copyright permissions.

7.1.2 Scanning and Processing

Faculty who manage their own accounts are responsible for the scanning, processing, and maintenance of their reserve materials. Faculty who do not wish to take on these responsibilities should apply for service using forms provided on the College of Charleston web page.

7.1.3 Training and Assistance

Upon request, the library staff will assist faculty who want to maintain their own accounts by providing training and an online manual.

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Draft: Sheila Seaman and James Williams 10/19/2000
Reviewed: Administrative Group: 2/21//2001
Reviewed: Librarians 2/21/2001
Approved: Director 2/21/2001

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