Disclaimer for Course Reserves

University Libraries retains the right to refuse to place on reserve any material judged to exceed reasonable limits of fair use in nature, scope or extent. Reference books and entire issues of periodicals will not be accepted for reserve. In addition, the library will stay in compliance with Murray State's web publishing guidelines, and may refuse to create links to URLs whose content is outside of these guidelines.

Fair Use Guidelines of US Copyright Law
Material placed on reserve is subject to normal copyright restrictions. 
In accordance with the Fair Use interpretation of the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the library may accept:

• Items not requiring copyright permission such as locally produced material (exams, syllabi, lecture notes, etc.);
• Government publications;
• One copy of any copyrighted item for one (1) semester only; or
• Permission to copy needs to be obtained in writing from the copyright owner and submitted to the library for continued use of an item in subsequent semesters.

 Materials which require copyright permission are:

• A periodical article or book chapter intended for use for more than one semester;
• Multiple chapters from a single book or multiple articles from a single periodical issue;
• Artwork intended for use for more than one semester.

Section 107 of the Copyright Act expressly permits the making of copies for classroom use. In determining fair use, four factors must be taken into consideration:

• Purpose: the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
• Nature: the nature of the copyrighted work;
• Amount: the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
• Effect: the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

If you need assistance, please call the library's Circulation Desk at (270) 809-3511, or e-mail cclark1@murraystate.edu.