The Library Regulations state:
"it shall be a disciplinary offence… to infringe, by the use of library facilities or materials, copyright legislation or the terms of any copyright licensing agreement entered into by the University"
The Library signs a licence with each publisher which governs the use of that publisher's eJournals, databases and other online resources: certain activities are permitted and others forbidden. It is the responsibility of all members of the University of Liverpool to ensure that their use of an online resource does not breach these licence conditions. Licence terms vary from publisher to publisher, but a few general principles are:
Usually Permitted
Authorised users, i.e. current staff and students of the University of Liverpool, may usually:
- print a copy of an article for personal use (research, teaching, private study) - but systematic downloading is usually forbidden, see below
- download a copy of an article for personal use (research, teaching, private study)
- send a copy of an article to another authorised user
Sometimes permitted
Some licences permit authorised users, i.e. staff and students of the University of Liverpool, to:
- incorporate articles or portions of articles into course packs for teaching use at the University of Liverpool (each article or portion of an article should carry appropriate acknowledgement of its source, e.g. author, title, and "originally published in")
- make articles available through a secure intranet or Virtual Learning Environment for teaching use at the University of Liverpool (each article should carry appropriate acknowledgement of its source in the link)
Usually forbidden
Licence terms will usually not allow you to:
- systematically download, save, or print articles from an eJournal (e.g. all articles from one issue of a journal)
- remove or alter the authors' names, the journal title, the publisher's copyright notices, or other means of identification from an article
- make multiple print or electronic copies (although use in course packs may be permitted)
- mount articles on an internet server (although mounting on a secure University of Liverpool server, such as VITAL, may be permitted)
- use articles for commercial use, including student placements
- send printed or electronic articles to unauthorised users (i.e. anyone who is not a student or a member of staff at the University of Liverpool)
- alter, abridge, adapt or modify articles
If you want to use an eJournal for anything other than making single copies for personal use, you are advised to consult the licence terms for that journal. Many online resources website include a link to the terms and conditions of the licence. If not, contact licenses@liverpool.ac.uk who should be able to provide you with a copy of the licence. For more general copyright matters, see the Library's Copyright Guide.
