Library Policies
General Library Use

The library strives to maintain an environment which is quiet and conducive to study. Please be considerate of others while using the library.
 

Food and open drink containers, such as pop cans, are not allowed in the library. However, drinks in covered containers are permitted in most areas. Light refreshments may be served at scheduled events in the Gammon Room. These refreshments should not be taken into other areas of the library.
 

Melick Library seeks to provide an atmosphere conducive to the best use of its resources. To this effect, it strives to balance the rights of users to access all types of information resources with the rights of users and staff to work in a public setting free from disruptive sounds and visuals. Users caught viewing offensive material may be asked to leave.
 

Melick Library does not monitor and has no control over information accessed through the Internet and cannot be held responsible for its content or the consequences of using the information. Not all information on the Internet is accurate, complete, or current. Users are responsible for determining if the information they access is acceptable, reliable, and suitable for their needs.
 

Patrons are cautioned that the Internet is not a secure medium and all transactions, files, and communications may be subject to unauthorized access by third parties.

Theft/Damage of Library Property

Anyone who removes materials from the library without checking them out first is subject to disciplinary action.  
 

Any library materials that are damaged or mutilated must be replaced by the patron responsible for the damage and that patron may also be subject to disciplinary action. Offenses against the library such as theft, mutilation, and vandalism are defined under Illinois State Statute 16B and are subject to prosecution by the State’s Attorney.

Cell Phone Use

In order to provide an environment conducive to study and research and as a courtesy to other patrons, all cell phones should either be turned off or set to a non-audible ring prior to entering the library.
 

Cell phone conversations that take place inside the library should last no more than 2 minutes and be conducted in a low voice. If you need to have an extended conversation, please go outside the library to do so. Users who fail to adhere to this policy will be asked to leave the library.

 

GIFTS

Books

When books are donated to Melick Library, they will be evaluated according to the criteria established in the library’s Books and Materials Selection Policy:

  • Appropriateness for a small, undergraduate liberal arts college
  • Currentness and/or historical value
  • Duplication of existing materials
  • Relationship to the Eureka College curriculum
  • Academic quality of the book
  • Condition of the book

Only those books that meet the criteria of the Selection Policy will be added to the library’s collection. Old textbooks are not acceptable additions to the collection because they become dated very quickly. The library will acknowledge all substantive gifts. The library reserves the right to sell any items that are donated but are not added to the library’s holdings. Any profit from the sale of donated items will be applied to the library budget.


Periodicals

Gifts of periodicals will be retained as a permanent part of the library’s collection when they are a major addition of a new title that meets the criteria of the Periodicals Selection Policy, or they fill a gap in the library’s existing periodical collection. Gift issues of periodicals that are not added to the collection will be either returned to the donor or offered to interested individuals on campus or at other institutions.
 

To learn more about our official gift policy and to access a donor form, please click GiftPolicy.
 

Please note: Librarians do not assess the value of gifts for income tax purposes. The library reserves the right to sell any items that are donated but are not added to the library’s holdings. Any profit from the sale of donated items will be applied to the library budget.

 

Library Policies

Computer Study Center

The computers in the Computer Study Center require an authorized log-in and are therefore only available to faculty, students, and staff. The general public cannot use these computers. Log-ins are not provided by Melick Library.

This is a computer lab and is equipped for word processing, email, Internet access, etc. Computer use for educational purposes has priority over recreational activities.

Reference Computer Use

Acceptable Uses of Reference Computers:

  • Utilizing resources available through the library’s web pages.
  • Using the Internet for research purposes.
  • Printing web pages, search results, or electronic journal articles.

Unacceptable Uses of Reference Computers:

  • Downloading or installing software to hard drives.
  • Deleting or modifying software, and/or alteration of any files or modifying the configuration of any library computer.
  • Violations of the Library computer security or network integrity, including using the network to make unauthorized entry into other computational, informational, or communication services or resources.
  • Destruction, damage, or modification of computer hardware or equipment, or the removal of any part of the Library computer workstations.
  • Viewing of pornographic or sexually explicit materials may be grounds for sexual harassment charges by other users. Pop up pornography must be immediately suppressed or reported to library staff.
  • Any illegal activity.
  • Children under 14 may not use computers unless they are accompanied by a supervising adult. Melick Library assumes no responsibility for the use of the Internet by minors.

Consequences:

  • Any individual found to be using the computers to the distraction of another user or limiting access to the computer for the research purposes of another user, will be required to cease the activity unless they can demonstrate that they are completing an academic assignment for a class.
  • Repeated violations by students, staff or faculty may be subject to disciplinary action as outlined in the college’s Acceptable Use Agreement and referred to the appropriate campus disciplinary body.
  • Non-affiliated users who violate this policy will have their computer use privileges revoked.
Computer Use by the Public

The general public is welcome to use our Reference Area computers by asking to be logged in at the Circulation desk. All documents printed will be charged at the rate of 5 cents per page and payment is due at the Circulation desk before leaving the library.

Melick Library reserves the right to place reasonable restrictions on the use of computers consistent with the missions of the Library and the College and in accordance with laws or regulations of the United States and the State of Illinois.

Library Policies

What Can Be Placed on Reserve
  • Items owned by Melick Library
  • Personal items—instructor’s’ own copies of books, DVDs, videos, periodicals, legally assembled course packets, or other materials that are not subject to licensing restrictions
  • Tests, class notes, and other original works
  • Other legally obtained copies (from books, monographs, periodicals, etc.) provided by the instructor
What Cannot Be Placed on Reserve
  • InterLibrary Loan items (ILL)
  • Rented videos and DVDs (i.e. items from Netflix or Blockbuster)
  • Items borrowed from other libraries or institutions
  • Rare or very fragile items
  • Copies in excess of one copy per 12 students
  • Copies of more than one article from the same periodical issue or more than one chapter from the same monographic title
  • Copying used to create or replace or substitute for anthologies, compilations or collective works
  • Copying of consumable materials (workbooks, exercises, standardized tests, etc.)
  • Repeated copying of the same item for the same teacher from term to term without permission of the copyright owner or copyright clearance. (See below.)
  • Copying to substitute for the purchase of books, periodicals, or publishers’ reprints
Reserve Forms

Please fill out one Reserve Request form and one Fair Use Checklist for each item being placed on Reserve. Forms can be obtained at the Circulation Desk and submitted to the Access Services Coordinator. All staff and faculty members must fill out these forms correctly for each item they submit to Reserve. Students may deliver items for their professors or supervisors as long as the Reserve Request and Fair Use Checklist forms are filled out accurately and signed by the staff or faculty member.

Placing Personal Copies on Reserve

You are welcome to place personal copies on Reserve, but please be aware that they may suffer some wear and tear from use. Though we do our best to safeguard personal items, Melick Library and its employees cannot be held responsible for lost or damaged property. We do not recommend placing personal materials that are difficult to replace on Reserve. Please make sure that each personal item you submit for Reserve is clearly labeled with your full name so it can be returned to you at the end of the term. In some circumstances it may be advisable for the library to acquire its own copy.

Electronic Reserve

The library will provide scanning for items placed on Electronic Reserve. Scanning for all Eureka courses is done by the Access Services Coordinator. Please follow the timelines set forth in the Reserve Timelines section when submitting material for paper and Electronic Reserve (also referred to as ERes). Materials may be submitted in paper (book, journal, or photocopy) or PDF formats. If submitting a photocopy or PDF item please include the title page and title page verso (containing the author and copyright information) and table of contents in addition to the assigned content. Electronic Reserve is password protected and only available for the duration of the course; all Electronic Reserve material will be removed from the server at the end of the term. Faculty and staff submitting materials for Electronic Reserve are still required to complete the Reserve Request and Fair Use Checklist forms.

Course Reserves Through Brightspace

Brightspace provides a more efficient distribution system for your electronic course reserves. However, copyright laws still apply, even if your course is password protected. In order to provide copyright-friendly course reserves, please follow the same guidelines for Electronic Reserves (above) with the following exception: the Access Services Coordinator should be added as the “Librarian” role in in your course by the LMS Faculty Admin. This will give her/him the ability to upload documents to your course that you can then use as needed. The Access Services Coordinator will still provide the pre-processing as before, including obtaining any necessary copyright clearance for reserve materials.

 

The library can also assist in determining whether it may be possible, and more convenient, to simply link to an electronic version of the article available through our licensed databases.

 

Please be aware that copyright laws (Title 17, United States Code) still apply to materials copied and distributed electronically through LMS systems such as Moodle. By engaging the assistance of Melick Library, you will be assured that materials will be made available according to widely accepted “Best Practices” in higher education.

Submitting Items For Reserve

If possible, turn in all materials together at least two weeks before the beginning of the semester in accordance with the timelines set forth in the Reserve Policy Timelines section (see below). All Reserve items submitted must be accompanied by a dated syllabus or reading list so that we know how to prioritize your scanning. As a courtesy for providing your syllabus to the library we will add it to the Electronic Reserve list for your course as a PDF. Please indicate if you do not want your syllabus added to Electronic Reserve.

 

We will contact you if we receive photocopies that have cut off or missing pages or are otherwise unreadable. This may delay the processing of your request. Each item must include complete citation information to ensure accuracy and speedy processing. Each copy will be made available with a clear notice of copyright; Melick Library will affix this notice.

When to Submit Reserve Materials

Submitting Reserve lists at least two weeks before the start of classes will ensure that they are available to students on the first day of class. If your list includes books that you know are not available from Melick Library, please submit at least these absent titles as soon as you know you will be using them.

 

Reserve requests must be processed by the Access Services Coordinator. If you submit a request outside of our regular business hours, the request will be processed the next business day. Please plan ahead if you need students to complete Reserve readings over a weekend.

 

You are welcome to add materials to your Reserve list at any time. Please allow 72 hours turnaround time between submission and availability of new Reserve items during the first three weeks of the semester due to heavy traffic. Afterwards, we generally have a 24 hour turnaround time.

 

Please keep all turnaround times in mind as you submit scanning requests as well. We cannot promise to honor any rush requests, as they unfairly delay the progress of others.

 

Please be sure to submit your Course Reserves before assigning readings to your students. This sounds obvious, but it is frustrating for everyone involved when students ask for readings at the Circulation Desk when we have yet to receive your submission.

 

Instructors will be notified in the event of an incomplete submission. Missing pages or incomplete forms will require immediate follow up before processing can be completed. This will certainly delay the processing of your request, so please feel free to ask for assistance and clarification during the submission process.

Access to Reserve Materials

Access to Reserve materials must be tightly limited to the students enrolled in the course, and the materials on Electronic Reserve must be accessible by password and only while the students are enrolled in the course. Reserve materials may be searched in the Course Reserves module of the library catalog by instructor, department, or course.

Copyright Clearance

Some items will require copyright permission, but Melick Library will be happy to handle the paperwork for you. The library provides this service in accordance with U.S. Copyright Law. The process of getting permission to use a copyrighted work will vary depending on the type of materials. The library considers each request on a case-by-case basis and looks to the four factors of the Fair Use provisions for guidance. (See the Eureka College Copyright Policy for further information on the Fair Use guidelines.) Some requests may not meet the definition of fair use; in those cases, the library can assist faculty members as they seek to obtain the required permissions and/or licenses. Please keep in mind that publisher representatives do check copyright compliance anonymously.

 

The process for gaining Copyright Clearance can take up to several months. Please talk to the Access Services Coordinator about Copyright Clearance for your Reserve materials when you pick them up at the end of the semester. If you know that you will be teaching the course again and using the same materials you can work with Access Services Coordinator to begin the Copyright Clearance process well in advance of the next semester.

 

Melick Library will cover the cost of Copyright Clearance up to $20 per item. If an item exceeds that cost the remainder of the balance due must be paid either by the department or by the individual.

 

*While this document is official EC Policy, vetted by College Legal, please keep in mind that it is our interpretation and application of guidelines and legislation crafted by the US Government and ALA. EC retains copyleft rights on all information contained herein. Please use with appropriate discretion and respect.

Copyright Policies

What is Copyright?

Copyright is a form of legal protection granted by the government to authors of original works that have been “fixed” in a tangible medium of expression. A “fixed” work is in a form that allows it to be communicated over time. Copyrightable items include: textual, musical, pictorial, graphic, audiovisual, architectural and choreographed works.

Copyright potentially extends to:

  • Published and unpublished works
  • Works in any format, including physical, textual, visual, audial, and digital files
  • Works that you own but did not create, including DVDs and digital files
  • Works that are widely available for free, including items available on the Internet
  • Works that do not indicate their copyright status (i.e., older books without copyright statements)
Duration of Copyright

Copyright status can be difficult to determine, and, with few exceptions, you should assume that every work is covered by copyright until you can prove otherwise.

 

Duration of copyright varies depending on a number of factors. Copyright has expired for works published before 1923 and those are now in the public domain. Prior to 1964, works received a 28 year copyright with the option to renew for 67 more years before entering the public domain. The Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998 prevents new works from entering the public domain due to copyright expiration until 2019.

 

Most works that fall under copyright protection and were published after 1963 are covered by copyright and will be for a long time unless the copyright holder dedicates the work to the public domain.

Limitations of Copyright

Copyright does not protect ideas, concepts, systems, methods or simple lists (such as recipes) although it may protect expressions of them. (Note: Although copyright does not protect names, titles, slogans, or short phrases, they may be protected as trademarks.) Additionally, copyright does not protect works that have not been fixed in a tangible form of expression. Copyright protection does not extend to any work created by the United States government or to the work of any federal employee as part of their official responsibilities. Additionally, works with expired copyright are no longer protected by copyright law.

Exemptions to Copyright

Two types of exemptions to copyright law exist: statutory exemptions and Fair Use exemptions.

 

Statutory Exemptions

Classroom use: Education institutions and governmental agencies are authorized to publicly display and perform others’ works in the course of face-to-face teaching activities, and to a limited degree, in broadcasts.

 

Copying in a library: The copyright statute describes a limitation to copyright that is used frequently in academic institutions. This statute is provided in Title 17, United States Code §108. It is not an infringement of copyright when libraries (or their users) make single copies of certain copyrighted works, provided that: only individual articles or small portions of a larger work are copied; the copies become the property of the patron; the copies are used for private study, scholarship or research; the copying is not done for commercial advantage; and the library displays prominently a notice warning of copyright restrictions in accord with requirements published by the US Copyright Office. Libraries may make copies of entire works (or substantial pieces of a work) if the work cannot be obtained after a reasonable search and at a reasonable price. For the first use of the item, it is under this exemption and the fair-use doctrine that libraries may copy and place materials on course reserve. Subsequent uses will require the permission of the copyright owner (see the Copyright Clearance section of the Melick Library Reserve Policy).

 

Non-U.S. Works: No “international copyright” automatically protects an author’s works throughout the world. Protection against unauthorized use in a particular country, therefore, depends on the laws of that country. However, most countries offer protection to foreign works under conditions that have been greatly simplified by international copyright treaties and conventions.


Fair Use Exemptions

The following is an excerpt from Copyright Law of the United States:

Fair Use: U.S. Copyright Office

  • 107 of the Copyright Law of 1976: Limitations on exclusive rights of Fair Use. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is fair use the factors to be considered shall include-
  • The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
  • The nature of the copyrighted work;
  • The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole and
  • The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work
  • The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.

 

Determining Fair Use

The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit education purposes

  • Fair use is more likely to apply if the original work is used for a transformative purpose; that is, a purpose that has given the work a new meaning, added new information, or artistic value to the original work. Common transformative uses are parody, art, and scholarly comment and criticism (i.e., classroom discussion). Uses that are educational or informative in nature or that contribute to political debate are more likely to be cases of fair use; please note such uses are NOT in themselves defenses against infringement.
  • The nature of the copyrighted work
  • Fair use is more likely to apply if the original work being used is factual in nature because spreading information is a public good. Works that are fictional or artistic in nature and are not primarily intended to spread information often receive more copyright protection than, for example, biographies.
  • The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
  • Fair use is more likely to apply when proportionally short and less significant portions of works are used. Even a short use may be infringement if the portion used is central to the meaning or message of the original work (i.e., the harpooning scene in Moby Dick).
  • The effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work
  • An important factor in determining fair use is the degree to which the use impairs future financial profits that the copyright holder might expect to receive by virtue of possessing it.
Useful Resources on Copyright

Due to new technologies and competing interests, copyright law has become more complex and is subject to regular revision. See the websites listed here for more information and updates on copyright issues.

United States Copyright Office

Copyright Law of the United States

Copyright and Fair Use, Stanford University Libraries

Crash Course in Copyright, University of Texas System

Columbia University Libraries Copyright Advisory Office