Answering Copyright Questions at the Reference Desk: a Guide for Academic Librarians

Abstract

Copyright compliance is a major issue in higher education, and academic librarians are being approached more frequently by students and instructors with questions as to how copyrighted works can be legally used for teaching and research. This article provides a brief orientation to U.S. Copyright Law and introduces print and online resources librarians can refer patrons to in order to make informed decisions regarding the use of copyrighted works.