Copyright & Fair Use

What is Fair Use?   

Fair use is part of Copyright Law.

Fair use limits the creator's exclusive rights to allow for certain kinds of use of copyrighted works by students, libraries and other identified entities and users.  

The Copyright Law has a specific section about the fair use of content by libraries and archives. 

• Section 108. Limitations on exclusive rights: Reproduction by Libraries and Archives.
• Fair use allows for licensed (paid-for) content in libraries to be shared with library members without requiring further clearance through the creator of that content.
• In other words, licensed library content found in the subscription databases at American Sentinel College can be used in courses and shared within the American Sentinel community using a range of methods e.g. through links.

Fair use is NOT about any use being fair and copyright being too restrictive.

• Both the creator of the content and the user of the content are served through the balancing act of copyright clearance: a process that provides for fair compensation, while ensuring that access is provided to the content in a fair manner.