Bookstore Copyright Policy

Dear Faculty Members,

I would like to remind all faculty that last year the College adopted a new policy to follow copyright laws, and we had to make some changes in our practices regarding the bookstore. While the copyright laws have some exceptions and gray areas, a very important change that we made was that the bookstore can no longer sell any photocopied packets of copyrighted material unless the copyright owner has given written permission to do so. If you do not have print shop material sold at the bookstore or do not plan to do so in the future, then this will not affect you. If you will have material sold at the bookstore, here are the relevant details.

1. Your first stop is the library (attn. Jessica Oberlin, x4352), which will assist in determining what requires copyright release, as well as help in obtaining it or finding the cost per article/book of obtaining it.
2. All course packs to be copied by the printshop and sold in the bookstore must be submitted to the bookstore when regular book orders are made. After certifying that they can legally sell them, the bookstore will send them to the print shop to copy them. Faculty no longer deal directly with the print shop for course packs, as we do not want to copy first and then decide that material cannot be legally sold. Even uncopyrighted course packs will pipe through the bookstore.
3. Each copyrighted item must have a full bibliographic citation on its first page and its last page must contain a statement of copyright permission (again the library will assist with these).
4. In addition to the above statements in the course pack, the bookstore must be given:
   1. Written or emailed permission for each item to have in the bookstore files. Permanent release may be recycled.
   2. A clear fee that the publisher requires for each item, as well as to whom this fee must be paid so that the bookstore can pay the fee.
5. Now that we have an official copyright policy, we are legally allowed “fair use” of copyrighted articles and excerpts of books. Fair use allows one time or occasional instructional use of such copyrighted material to be copied and distributed to your classes or posted to Moodle without permission or fee (but not sold by the bookstore). Links to articles found on the internet can be posted on Moodle without any restriction. Again, Janet Hurlbert in the library can help you navigate the changing landscape of copyright compliance.

I understand that following copyright laws can include inconveniences that few relish, but it is something that we must do.

Phil

Philip Sprunger, Ph.D.
Provost and Dean of the College
Associate Professor of Economics
Lycoming College
Williamsport, PA 17701
570-321-4102