These guidelines are intended to help staff and students copy and communicate digital and print works in a fair and legal manner. If you have questions, please see your campus librarian, or contact ahook@auroracollege.nt.ca, preferably well before you need to make the copy or clip the video – if you do end up needing to request permission, it will take time!
A single copy of a short excerpt from a copyright-protected work may be provided or communicated to each student enrolled in a class or course as a class handout, either in print, by email, or posted in a secure, password-protected system such as Moodle, unless there is a digital lock or a clearly visible statement prohibiting copying.
A short excerpt means:
Copying or communicating multiple short excerpts from the same copyright-protected work with the intention of substantially copying or communicating most or all of the work is prohibited.
Cite the source! Copied or communicated excerpts should always mention the source and, if given in the source, the name of the author or creator of the work.
Wondering what you can use in the classroom? Try this interactive online tool from the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada that can help determine if material falls under Canadian fair dealing guidelines:
DVDs and other audio-visual formats can be shown in class, or on Moodle, for educational or training purposes and not for profit, to an audience consisting primarily of students or instructors, as long as the work is not an infringing copy, was legally obtained, and you do not circumvent a digital lock to play it.
YouTube – Yes!: You may perform a work available through the Internet, e.g. YouTube videos, UNLESS the work is protected by digital locks preventing their performance, a clearly visible notice prohibiting educational use is posted on the website or on the work itself, or you have reason to believe that the work available on the Internet is in violation of the copyright owner’s rights.
iTunes, Netflix – No!: iTunes and Netflix both appear to specify personal use only. Therefore, you may not show films from either of these services in your class without obtaining permission from them.
Most of the online journals and article databases available through Aurora College Libraries have licences that govern use and reproduction of their content. Generally, the usage rules match the fair dealing guidelines, but not always. When they diverge, licence terms supersede fair dealing exceptions because they are terms of a contract we have with the company for use of the material. We have licences with companies such as Ebsco, ProQuest, Encyclopedia Britannica, Credo Reference, Access Science, and Safetycare; also with e-journal publishers such as Sage, Elsevier and Taylor & Francis. If you have any questions about the use of licensed resources, please talk with your campus librarian.
Web content, even when freely available, is covered by copyright and you must adhere to the terms of use on the website, often found in a link (“Legal” or “Terms”) at the bottom of the webpage. Using clips in your own work is generally permitted for educational purposes, within the 10% limit. Don’t forget to cite your source – this is called attribution, and is required!
A PDF of a journal article attached to an email is a copy. A link to the url is not a copy. It is always better, from a copyright point of view, to send the link. For example, if you wish to share an electronic journal article with students or staff, provide a link to the source in your e-mail message, not the entire article. Likewise, it is best to provide the link in your Moodle post.
However, if your document is a hard copy, you will need to scan it. If you obtained a digital copy from a legitimate source outside the College, then providing only the link may lead your audience to a dead end – the publisher’s page inviting them to purchase a copy. In these circumstances, you may e-mail a PDF copy or post the article in a password-protected learning management system, such as Moodle, for educational purposes and if the only audience is Aurora College students or staff; you may not post it on the open web or on a Facebook page.