How does copyright law affect Reserve policy?
Title 17, section 106 of the United States Code grants to copyright owners, the exclusive right to reproduce, display, and distribute their work. Section 107 (the fair use doctrine) provides that under certain circumstances, material protected by copyright may be used without permission from the copyright owner. However, contrary to popular belief, an “educational use” does not necessarily mean material may be used without copyright permission. The UMass Amherst Libraries developed a Reserve policy based on the fair use doctrine, the Classroom Guidelines (House Report 94-1476), and the American Library Association Model Policy Concerning College and University Photocopying for Classroom, Research and Library Reserve Use.
