Copyright Statement  
The Strauss Health Sciences Library at the University of Colorado Denver requires that library personnel adhere to the provisions of the Copyright Law of the United States and relevant copyright guidelines. Library personnel strive to assist and educate Anschutz Medical Campus faculty, staff, and students in the appropriate and legal use of library resources.

Fair Use

The Strauss Health Sciences Library supports the constitutional principle that the fundamental purpose of copyright is to “promote the progress of science and the useful arts” (United States Constitution, Article 1, Section 8) through the dissemination of information in a manner consistent with current copyright law. The doctrine of fair use, found in Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, addresses the needs of scholars and students for access to information by mitigating the rights of copyright ownership. The application of fair use provides a balance between the rights of copyright holders and the needs of society for the dissemination of information.

Strauss Health Sciences Library’s policies and procedures are designed to provide Anschutz Medical Campus personnel with access to information resources that support the educational, research, clinical, and community service missions of the campus through the lawful exercise of fair use rights. Section 107 includes four criteria that must be considered to determine if a particular use, without having prior permission from the copyright holder, is a fair (and allowable) use. Employees can learn more about fair use by taking the Library's class, "Copyright and Fair Use: A How-To For Education."

Library Copying

Section 108 of the Copyright Act of 1976 sets forth circumstances under which libraries are permitted to make photocopies and other reproductions of copyrighted materials. For example, to comply with Section 108, the Strauss Health Sciences Library’s collections are available onsite to unaffiliated scholars and the general public for research and educational purposes. Most of the Library’s resources are also available to users of other libraries via interlibrary loan. 

Unsupervised Copying by Library Users

According to Section 108f, liability for copyright infringement may not be imposed on a library or its employees for unsupervised use of reproducing equipment located on its premises, provided that the equipment displays a notice that making copies may be subject to copyright law:

"Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a request for, or later uses a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use, that user may be liable for copyright infringement." (Section 108f)

The Strauss Health Sciences Library displays the following notice on or near unsupervised copying machines in the Library:

NOTICE: The U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S. Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The person using this equipment is liable for any infringement.

The Strauss Health Sciences Library displays the following notice in areas of the Library where unsupervised audiovisual and computer equipment is available for public use:

NOTICE: The U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and Library licensing agreements govern the making of reproductions of audiovisual material, microcomputer software, and proprietary databases. The person using this equipment is liable for any infringement.

More Information About Copyright

For questions about the Strauss Health Sciences Library’s Copyright Policy, contact the library's AskUs service.

To learn more about copyright law and fair use, visit the Strauss Health Sciences Library’s Copyright Information guide.

Permission to copy this policy for non-commercial educational uses is freely granted.