Library FAQ

All material placed on Electronic Reserve must be compliant with copyright law and fall under Fair Use. 

In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a “fair use”, the factors to be considered shall include:

• the purpose and character of the use
• the nature of the copyrighted work being used
• the amount and substantiality of the work being used
• the effect of the use on the market for value of the original

Material that will be placed on Reserve without obtaining copyright clearance includes the following:

• Quizzes/Exams/Solutions
• Homework assignments
• Study guides/syllabus prepared by instructor
• Lecture notes
• Student papers (with written authorization)
• Government publications
• Overheads prepared by the instructor

Proper attribution must be obtained for all works on Electronic Reserve. Faculty who wish to place a student paper or other unpublished work on reserve must obtain written consent from the author before the work will be added. Please contact Library Reserves staff to complete the Permission for Created Works form for student papers or unpublished works. 

Library Reserves staff will not place material on reserve that does not comply right Fair Use or violates copyright laws. 

Please refer to the Fair Use and Copyright guidelines for more information. Faculty are responsible for ensuring their material are compliant with Fair Use and copyright laws. If you have questions, you can contact reserve@csusm.edu.