The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs making photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of the conditions is the photocopy or reproduction will not be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement.
On-site requests for photocopies from published/printed materials such as books, journals, etc. will generally be granted provided the photocopy process will not cause damage to the material. Photocopying of Special Collections and University Archives printed materials will be completed by department staff. Entire books will not be photocopied. Requests for photocopies from published materials from patrons at other institutions should be directed to the McFarlin Library Interlibrary Loan Department.
Manuscripts, images, and other unique materials may not be copied by any process unless the applicant has given, by signature on the Reader’s Registration Form, written assurance to The Department of Special Collections and University Archives that no document or substantial portion of a document will be published or reproduced without the permission of the author or his/her legal representative and the Director of Special Collections. Large (over 50 items) or especially complex duplication orders are subject to administrative approval. Approval for the duplication of entire collections is rarely granted; however, special consideration may be made for collections that consist of only a few documents. The maximum number of copies that may be requested by a patron in a six-month period from one collection is 200 pages.
Requests for the reproduction of manuscripts or images must be made in writing (Application for the Duplication of Unpublished Works) and must be completed in full, specifying the exact materials and passages to be copied. Requests for copies of substantial portions of a collection are rarely approved. The applicant must obtain and present to the Library written authorization from the author/photographer/artist or his/her heir, assignee, executor, or estate representative (Permission from Copyright Holder for Reproduction). If the author cannot be found and no heir or other interest holder can be traced, the applicant must present a written record of the steps taken to obtain authorization and request that the authorization requirement be waived. Fees are charged for the preparation of reproductions with an additional shipping and handling charge (Fee Schedule). Reproductions are not to be made available to any other person or institution without the written permission of the Director of Special Collections.
Media, in any format, will not be copied without explicit permission from the producer, his/her heir, executor, or copyright holder.
Special Collections will not make copies of materials that are not in our collections (for example, photocopies of materials where the originals are in other collections elsewhere).