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Copyright and Fair Use Resource Center

Guiding copyright and fair use compliance at Mitchell College.

LIS Guiding Principles

copyright clearance iconInterpretation of copyright law and fair use is complex and in constant flux. Nonetheless, it is both the obligation and the intention of Mitchell College Library and Information Services (LIS) to respect and appropriately adhere to the provisions of the Fair Use Guideline of the U.S. Copyright Law, and by extension to be mindful of the congressional Technology, Education and Copyright Harmonization Act, commonly known as the TEACH Act.     

  1. LIS intends to fully comply with all licenses and contractual agreements related to the library's resources. LIS recognizes the role of copyright in promoting scholarly research and publication and supports compliance with these laws by faculty, students, and staff.
  2. LIS encourages everyone at Mitchell College to become as knowledgeable as possible regarding copyright and fair use as it pertains to their particular areas of work and study. LIS is pleased to make available a full array of resources to ensure that students, faculty, and staff have appropriate and adequate guidance. Intentional disregard of federal policy and guidelines places individuals at considerable risk of liability for their personal actions.
  3. LIS will continue to monitor the evolving compliance landscape and to keep the community informed of changes as we become aware of them.
  4. LIS is available for questions and guidance. Stop by, call, or email us (askLIS@mitchell.edu)

Adapted in part from the Connecticut College LIS Copyright Policy Statement for use at Mitchell College.

Copyright Basics

Before assessing Fair Use, it is important to understand a few copyright basics. Links to more information can be found below.
adapted from Columbia University Libraries' Copyright Quick Guide

Digital Copyright Slider

Tales from the Public Domain: Bound by Law?

According to iLibrarian:  "A project of Duke University’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain, Tales from the Public Domain: Bound by Law? presents the ins-and-outs of public domain, fair use, and copyright law in an easy-to-understand format. This 70-page, masterfully illustrated and incredibly detailed comic book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license, and offers free digital versions for download as well as makes individual pages accessible for remixing. If you’re interested in learning more about intellectual property law in an increasingly digitized and mashed-up culture, or you’re on the lookout for instructional materials, you’ll want to check this one out."