PDF Version University Libraries' Copyright Standards
Library-Licensed Electronic Resources

General Information

The University Libraries provide licensed electronic resources in support of the University's three-fold mission of research and discovery, teaching and learning, and outreach and public service. In many cases, license agreements impose greater restrictions on use than does copyright law. Nonetheless, the Libraries, whenever possible, enter only into agreements that allow access to and use of information, which fully support the University's mission. Users of library-licensed resources must comply with the terms of agreements, as well as with the campus-wide policy on Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources and related guidelines (see Supporting Information Resources below).

Users should be aware that publishers/vendors may monitor use of electronic resources to ensure compliance with licensing agreements. Breach of license may enable the publisher/vendor to turn off the University's access without warning. Therefore, users must make reasonable and good faith efforts to comply with license terms in order to help ensure access to electronic resources for the entire University community.

Authorized Users

In general, authorized users of electronic resources licensed for the University of Minnesota Libraries-Twin Cities campus are defined as:

• Currently enrolled Twin Cities campus students and currently employed faculty and staff members, who are entitled to on-site and remote access; and
  
  
• Members of the public, who are entitled to onsite access only (i.e., within a campus library).

User Responsibilities

Users of licensed resources must comply with the terms of agreements. In doing so they are expected to:

• familiarize themselves with license terms associated with specific resources, presented at the time of access;
  
  
• limit uses to non-commercial, educational, or personal research purposes;
  
  
• not facilitate unauthorized access by others (i.e., do not share their U of M Internet account password);
  
  
• not engage in large-scale systematic downloading of licensed content (e.g., downloading entire issues of electronic journals or large-scale downloading from bibliographic files to create large databases);
  
  
• not further distribute copies of material to individuals or groups outside the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, unless the license for the resource specifically allows it;
  
  
• not share client software used to search licensed resources with individuals or groups outside the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; and
  
  
• give proper attribution when quoting from material.

Note: not all licenses allow downloading and posting of articles (or other available works) from electronic resources for use in course web sites or course reserves. It is advisable to consult with the Libraries before using licensed electronic resources for such purposes. In general, it is preferable to link to articles (via an appropriate authentication mechanism) rather than to download and post articles to a server.

Library Responsibilities

In providing licensed electronic resources, the Libraries shall:

• whenever possible, enter only into agreements that allow access to and use of information that fully support the University's mission;
  
  
• enter into agreements that ensure user privacy, in accordance with the University's Online Privacy Statement;
  
  
• allow access only to authorized users;
  
  
• make reasonable and good faith efforts to inform authorized users of their rights and responsibilities under license agreements; and
  
  
• upon becoming aware of any breach of a license agreement, take reasonable measures to correct the breach and to prevent the breach from occurring again.

Supporting Information Resources

"Acceptable Use of Information Technology Resources." University of Minnesota Academic/Administrative Policy 2.8.1. Effective December 1996; Updated: March 6, 2003.
http://www.fpd.finop.umn.edu/groups/ppd/documents/policy/acceptable_use.cfm

"Appendix A - Guidelines for Using Information Technology Resources." University of Minnesota Policy. Updated: July 14, 2000.
http://www.fpd.finop.umn.edu/groups/ppd/documents/appendix/useguidelines.cfm

"Including a Privacy Statement on U Web Pages." University of Minnesota Academic/Administrative Policy 2.8.3. Effective September 2001.
http://www.fpd.finop.umn.edu/groups/ppd/documents/policy/Online_Privacy.cfm

Fair Use Section of U.S. Copyright Law
http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#107

Minnesota Government Data Practices Act - Minn. Stat. 13.01.
http://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/stats/13/01.html

This document was reviewed by the University of Minnesota's Office of the General Counsel and approved by the University Libraries' Leadership Council in February 2004.