Reserve and Copyright Policy

As a general rule, instructor- or library-owned items can remain on reserve for 3-5 years. To abide by copyright guidelines, photocopied articles or chapters from books can remain on reserve for no more than one semester. If you are planning to use photocopied reserve items from semester to semester, copyright permissions must be secured.

Click here to view a table of items that can be placed on reserve (PDF format).

To obtain permission for photocopies:

Consult The Copyright Clearance Center which has the right to grant permission and collect fees for photocopying rights for certain publications, or
write directly to the publisher for permission. For smoother processing, allow plenty of lead time.

See Copyright.Com for instructions on obtaining copyright permission. You can also visit the University of Texas site for examples of permission letters.

Send the request to:

• The permissions department of the publisher along with a self-addressed return envelope.

At the end of the Fall Semester, the Library staff will send out emails/letters to each instructor who has items on reserve. A listing of the items the instructor has on reserve will be provided. The instructor should then notify the Library which items should be kept on reserve or removed. If there is no response from the instructor, the items will be removed from Reserve and returned to the instructor or to the Library collection as appropriate.

A.J. Eastwood Library

Reserve and Copyright Policy