Copyright protects digital items just as it does physical ones. However, in the digital environment it can be very difficult to see what copyright or license applies and even more difficult to track down a creator to ask for permission. So what can you do?
This includes Creative Commons and Public Domain; these works will be clearly labeled so that you understand what you need to do to edit or reuse them.
If you are using these materials in the classroom, as a student or instructor, your work may be subject to different guidelines. Remember, you will still need to provide citation information to give proper credit to your sources.
Thanks to technology, creating your own images and media is easier than ever before.
There are many sites where you can pay to be able to use images, videos, etc. We recommend pursuing the other three options first!
The library purchases films in both physical and streaming digital formats. When library videos are used beyond the scope of Fair Use or the TEACH Act (which encompasses in-person, classroom use), special permissions may be required. Although our acquisitions team favors purchasing extended rights for videos, this is not always possible at the point of sale.
We recommend contacting the library to discuss any extended rights you may require. A librarian can help clarify the rights available to you for a specific title and investigate the possibility of purchasing additional rights as necessary.
Important: Personal videos do not include rights such as public showings (i.e., showing to a group, whether for free or not, and whether or not access is restricted). You must seek permission from the copyright holder or distributor in order to publicly display a film.
