Library Logo
site header image

Trout Library Blog

Showing 2 of 2 Results

04/19/2021
profile-icon Roxanne Sutton
No Subjects

We’ve covered copyright on this blog before. Since that time we’ve developed a guide to copyright that has a permanent home on our Cite Sources guide. 

The guide is intended not to be comprehensive but to answer the most common copyright questions we’ve received over the years.  Also, just a disclaimer that the guide is not legal advice and any complex copyright issues should be brought to the attention of the College’s General Counsel. 

A common question we get is “can I use X in class?” X is any material of known or unknown copyright. When I’m asked copyright questions I always start with a few questions of my own: Who owns the copyright? What is the intended use (in-person or online instruction)? The answers determine how to proceed. 

If the material is in print and the intended use is for face-to-face instruction, I refer you to Reproduction of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians, Circular 21 by U.S. Copyright Office. This document outlines reproduction of copyright works by educators primarily for in-person instruction. 

If you have questions about what can be reproduced in an online environment like Canvas, see the center box of the Copyright guide for a summarized list of best practices. 

Obtaining permission is a big part of copyright best practice. If you want to share or reproduce a work under copyright protection in an online class it is advisable to seek written permission from the copyright holder. Start early and write to the copyright holder. The Columbia University Libraries Asking for Permission site has sample letters to help you draft your own permission-seeking letter. If you receive word back from the copyright holder granting permission be sure to keep that letter on file for the duration of use. You will need to repeat the process for each subsequent semester you use the material. What if you cannot find the copyright holder? Search for the material in question in the Copyright Clearance Center Get Permissions tool. Note that you may have to pay for a license. If you have questions or difficulty identifying the copyright holder, ask a librarian for assistance. 

What if the material is Open Access, Public Domain or has a Creative Commons license? Each of these are slightly different. See definitions on the guide in the Copyright Terminology box. Of these, Creative Commons is the only one that may have restrictions on use and sharing. You do not need to contact the copyright holder of a work under Creative Commons license as long as the license allows sharing/reuse. Follow the instructions of a Creative Commons license and always attribute the creator. For specifics of the different Creative Commons licenses and what each allows see About The Licenses. The image below summarizes how Creative Commons license symbols can be combined to grant various share/reuse rights. 

Creative commons license spectrum

Creative Commons license symbols by Shaddim; original CC license symbols by Creative Commons - https://creativecommons.org/about/downloads/ https://creativecommons.org/policies/Original CC license icons licensed under CC BY 4.0, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47247325

Can films and videos be shared in Canvas? Film and video have their own copyright restrictions. The restrictions differ depending on in-person or online instruction. In online environments, you are limited to showing short clips of 10% or 3 minutes whichever is less unless you have permission from the rights holder to show more. If you need to use a video from YouTube or another streaming service, check if the video has a Creative Commons License or in Public Domain. This information is usually in the information section below or next to a video. If the video you want to use does not have a reuse/share license you might need to find an alternative or pay for a license through a company like Swank. There are more suggestions for finding streaming video on the guide. 

What about Fair Use? It does apply in specific cases, however it is important to remember that Fair Use is a defense and not a rule. Whenever you come up with a copyright question that could be covered under Fair Use, think through the problem using the ALA Fair Use Evaluator. Keep the outcome of your analysis on file in case your use is challenged. You can also read more about Fair Use from Center for Media and Social Impact. They have a comprehensive list of Best Practices regarding Fair Use broken down by media type and setting. 

I hope you will check out the new copyright guide. As always, if you have any questions about copyright please reach out to the library. 

 

Roxanne Sutton

Reference and Special Collections Librarian

rsutton@harcum.edu

610-526-6022

   

   

04/11/2021
profile-icon Bill Fanshel
No Subjects

Concepts in science and mathematics are relevant to many of the programs at Harcum. Whether you need to study these subjects for your coursework or they simply pique your interest, you should check out my Science & Math Library Guide. Find it by clicking on Library Guides on the Library’s homepage and then choosing Science & Math in the Center for Allied Health Science section under Programs.

In purple bar across top: Programs; Beneath: Center for Allied Health Science; Bullet point list beneath: Allied Health Science, Animal Center Management, Behavior Technician, Dental Assisting| EFDA| Dental Hygiene, Histotechnician, Medical Coding, Medical Laboratory Technology, Nursing, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Phlebotomy Technician, Physical Therapist Assistant, Radiological Technology, Science & Math (encircled in red), Veterinary Nursing.

In the guide, you will find a tab for Books & eBooks, which will provide you with print books that we have in the collection as well as ways to access eBooks. The Databases tab lists databases that will lead you to full-text articles in these fields. If you need help searching the databases, check out the tutorials found under the Database Tutorials tab.

Science & Math: Home; Tabs beneath in first row: Home (highlighted), Books & eBooks, Databases, Database Tutorials, Websites & Tutorials, Science News Feeds, Kanopy, Podcasts; Tabs in second row: Open Educational Texts & Course Materials, PowerPoint & Google Slides Tips; Cite Sources.

The Science & Math Guide contains a tab for News Feeds, which includes those for ScienceDaily and Nature Journal. The items on this page are automatically refreshed on a daily basis, so check frequently for science news updates. Find course materials, including open access textbooks, under the Open Education Texts and Course Materials tab. The texts included under this tab will not necessarily be the ones used at Harcum, but they still might be helpful as a supplement.

The Websites & Tutorials tab features a multitude of resources. In the box on Biology, you will find links relevant to basic biology, cell biology, and human biology. The Chemistry box features links dealing with basic chemistry, environmental science, material data safety sheets, and the periodic table. There is a box devoted to Science News, which contains links to sources such as ScienceDaily, ScienceNews, Sciworthy, RealClear Science, and Nature.com. If you are having difficulty with math concepts, be sure to check out the links in the Math Tutorials box, which will provide assistance and practice problems for levels of math ranging from arithmetic to pre-calculus. There is even a link to a site that will help nursing students with dosage calculations as well as one that will help business students with financial calculations. You will also find a box that concentrates on the very important topic of climate change. This topic now might be of particular interest as Earth Day is coming up on April 22. The box contains links to climate change research and data, climate change news, weather information, as well as sites dealing with sustainability and renewable energy.

We also have a separate guide on Climate Change, Energy & Sustainability. Along with the resources mentioned above, this guide contains tabs for Useful Articles Useful Reports,  Videos & Podcasts, and Twitter & Apps. Find a link to the Climate Change, Energy & Sustainability guide on our Library Guides page in the General Topics box. A link is also provided in the April 2021 Highlights box.

In purple bar across top: General Topics; Beneath: Special Topics; Bullet point list beneath: 9/11, Anti-Racism Resources; Climate Change, Energy & Sustainability (encircled in red); Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources, Domestic Violence & Child Abuse, Entrepreneurship, Holocaust; News, Politics & Current Events; Staff Recommendations.       

If you have any questions about these resources or any others, please don’t hesitate to contact us in the Library. We would be glad to help you. You may reach us by email at library@harcum.edu or by using the chat box on the Library’s homepage during the posted hours. 

Bill Fanshel 

Evening/Weekend Librarian

wfanshel@harcum.edu

610-229-9311

 

Field is required.