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Copyright Information Center

Guide to using copyrighted material in course content at Hofstra University.

Course Reserves

Hofstra University Library offers an electronic reserve service called Talis Courseflow, which is accessible through Canvas. Within Courseflow, faculty can easily view, add, delete, and edit course content. All Courseflow content is vetted for copyright compliance. 

Guidelines for Placing Content in Electronic Reserve and Canvas

The following materials are appropriate for inclusion in Courseflow Reserves:

  • Quizzes, exams, solutions, syllabus, etc, prepared by instructor.
  • U.S. Government publications.
  • Material in the public domain (generally for U.S. works, published prior to 1929).
  • Articles from electronic journals or electronic books licensed by Hofstra University
  • Material available legally on the internet may normally be linked to, rather than scanned or digitally copied.
  • Copyrighted material covered by the Annual Copyright License.
  • Student papers (when accompanied by a signed permission form).
  • Copyrighted material for which permission has been received from the copyright holder to place the material in Course Reserves. The library will obtain permissions whenever possible.
  • Copyrighted material determined to fall under fair use. Each use of a copyrighted work needs to be evaluated individually, as there are no clear-cut and unambiguous rules of fair use.  The fair use checklist should be employed for all fair use determinations. The library is happy to assist with fair use decisions.

Materials which are not appropriate for inclusion in Courseflow Reserves:

  • Consumables, such as standardized tests, work books, lab books, and solutions manuals.
  • Multiple chapters of a book (but consult with Reserve Staff to determine if the content may be covered by a license).
  • Course Packs from the Hofstra University Bookstore.
  • Material from an anthology.  Permission is not available to use works from anthologies (such as Annual Editions or other republished selections).  Submit a request for the original source material.

Library assistance is available for all steps in developing your list of materials for Courseflow or print reserve.  We will assist you in determining what material is licensed and available electronically, what material is covered by the Annual Copyright License, what material requires permission, and estimated costs for permissions. We do have a (limited) budget to cover permissions costs for materials not otherwise licensed.

We can assist with determining whether an item is in the public domain, out of copyright, out of print, etc., and give advice for how to best provide access in accordance with the Hofstra University policy.  We can recommend what items may be used in Courseflow or Canvas, and what should be provided through print reserve or a course pack. 

We take fair use into consideration in all requests to provide copyrighted content through Courseflow, and document all fair use decisions. 

Contact Sarah McCleskey at 516-463-5076 or Sarah.E.McCleskey@hofstra.edu for assistance.