Copyright Considerations for Library Users in General
Photocopying for personal use
Students and staff
There are limitations on the amount of material that can be copied. As the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 itself is not precise on the quantities of copying permitted under the "fair dealing" exceptions. Therefore, you must make your own judgment. However as a guide, this may be interpreted as one article of a journal issue, or one chapter of a book. This should be a single copy only for private study, criticism and review, non-commercial research or reporting current events. When copying any such source, an acknowledgement is required.
Visitors to the library
Limitations on the amount of the material that can be copied is the same as for staff and students. However, if the material is intended for commercial use a 'sticker scheme' is in operation. Library staff will be able to advise on this and there are explanatory posters at all photocopiers. This scheme requires the completion of a form, available from library staff, and will incur a charge of £9.
Further guidance on what constitutes 'commercial use' is available on the British Library Web site (PDF).
Interlibrary loans
Material that is not available within the library may be requested from elsewhere via the Library's Inter-Library Loans Service. This service is only available to staff and students of the University. Limitations on the amount of the material that can be requested are in place and a declaration form should be signed to this effect. It may be possible to exceed these limits if a copyright fee is paid. If the ILL is required for commercial purposes (PDF) then this should also be stated on the form, and a copyright fee paid copy will be requested.
Scanning from print
The same limits on the amount that can be photocopied apply to scanning from print as for photocopying from print, as long as the purpose is for non-commercial research and private study.
Web pages
When linking to freely available Web sites it is advisable to contact the author for permission and/or to link to the top level of the site.
Other specialist formats
Images (still and moving)
Various resources have been made available that contain images that are out of copyright or that have been permitted for use by the copyright holders. A range of these is available on the Images Resources section of the Library's web site. When using such resources it is important to note the relevant terms and conditions. They are usually clearly stated on entry to the individual resource and sometimes require a mouse click to acknowledge that they have been accepted.
The copyright of images can be complex. For instance, the copyright of an image in a text book or journal article may not belong to the publisher of that book or journal. It can be difficult to identify the copyright holder but the WATCH database may help.
Maps
Severe restrictions apply to the copying of maps. The Library, however, subscribes to the Digimap service. Copying is limited, so please note the terms and conditions that apply when accessing the resource. This resource is available to staff and students only.
Standards
The Library subscribes to British Standards Online. This contains the full text of UK standards, etc. Copying is limited, so please note the terms and conditions that apply when accessing the resource. This resource is available to staff and students only.
Music
Printed music is not covered by any licences. However, the Music Publishers' Association has about 150 members and publishes a Code of Fair Practice agreed between composers, publishers and users of printed music.
The code allows copying of music published by MPA members in several special circumstances, including:
- for study and research (and not performance) short excerpts (but not a whole movement or a whole work) may be copied
- in emergencies: where music is lost or damaged before a pre-arranged concert, copies may be made provided that replacements are bought subsequently, or that, if the music is hired, the copy is returned with the other hired copies
- for performance difficulties, e.g. where a page-turn is awkward, a small amount may be copied
Please see the full text of the Code for further details of these and other permissions.
In all other circumstances, permission to reproduce copyright printed music must be obtained from the rights-owner a copy of printed music is required.
Visually impaired people (VIPs)
The Copyright (Visually Impaired Persons) Act 2002 amended the CDPA 1988 in relation to VIPs. This applies to people who are blind, who have in impairment of visual function which cannot be improved by the use of correcting lenses to an appropriate level for reading, or those who are unable to focus or move their eyes appropriately to read comfortably. Please note that this does not include dyslexia.
It allows the production of a single accessible copy of copyright material without seeking the prior permission of the copyright holder. This could include Braille, large print, audio and electronic formats, etc. It can be done if the VIP (or their institution) owns a legal copy of the work and if that work is not already available in the relevant accessible format.
A record must be kept of the details of any material copied, including the format into which it has been translated.
Acknowledgements and referencing
Having made a copy of a particular work, under the protection of the CPDA or any relevant licences, it is necessary to acknowledge the work. The Library has produced a guide to referencing that will explain how to do this.
