Although the College’s password protected Learning Management Systems help prevent unauthorized use, there are still best practices to follow when posting things to either Moodle or Brightspace (D2L).
Small portions of material might meet "fair use" guidelines. As a general principle, use only as much of a work as is needed, in compliance with the four factors of the fair use exception to copyright law, to meet your educational objectives -- unless you obtain a license or written permission to use more. More information and tools for determining "fair use" are on this main copyright guide page.
For how to link to various library online materials see: Linking to Library Resources
Reasons linking is preferable include:
If you decide to post a full PDF of a document for a particular course, it is recommended that you delete it from the server at the end of the course. This limited use (for the term of the course) supports that your use is more likely to qualify as “fair use” and also helps address the server space issue.
Better still, consider posting only the citations to articles available online through the library. Have students find the articles using library databases, so that they can practice the research process that they will need throughout college and after they graduate. Students can learn how to access an article from a citation by watching the brief 'Finding a Journal Article From a Citation' tutorial.
Verify ongoing availability ebooks for each semester in which you plan to use them. Linking to the JumpStart record for an ebook is best practice, as this will be the most stable URL for library ebooks. Also for some ebooks we have multiple full-text options in JumpStart, and if one is not working for some reason the other options will be available. Most - but not all - library ebooks allow for unlimited simultaneous use. Some ebooks do not allow or have limits on printing and downloading. These restrictions are imposed by the publishers. For ebooks with limited access (e.g., one to three simultaneous users), students will need to share access. Questions about access to library ebooks may be directed to Ask A Librarian.
You should use only as much of the film as required and in compliance with fair use exception unless a license or written permission is obtained. Academic Technology may be able to digitize a small portion or clip of a film within the guidelines of fair use; this segment can then be place in your course site for the semester. With audio, as with video, you are allowed to create a short clip or sample under the guidelines of fair use. However, if you can find a legal online version of the song or audio file, it may be easier to simply link to it.
The library has purchased or subscribed to some collections of online streamed films, to which you may link (e.g., Films on Demand, AVON, Docuseek2, etc.). For films required for course use, the library may be able to obtain a temporary streaming license or purchase a DVD copy of a film to place on reserve. Films for course use can be requested using the New Film Request Form (for films not already available through the library), or the Reserves & Film Booking Request Form (for films on DVD already owned by the library). The library also subscribes to collections of streaming audio and music in various genres. Verify ongoing availability ebooks for each semester in which you plan to use them. Questions about access to library films and music may be directed to Ask A Librarian.
Copies of copyrighted material should not be retained on the Learning Management System permanently. By limiting the use to the term of the course you support that your use is “fair use” and this also helps address the server space document storage issue.
Contact your Ask A Librarian or Academic Technology Liaison to discuss options for meeting your educational objectives.