Copying and copyright

These guidelines give information about what you may copy legally. They cover what library users may copy for non-commercial research or private study. You should note on each copy an acknowledgement of the publication which was copied.
If you do anything beyond what is recommended, you risk breaking the law. You must ask for advice before you copy beyond these recommended limits - please contact Katie Hambrook in the Audio Visual Unit office at Headington Library (telephone 01865 483146).

Multiple copying

All the guidelines below refer to making one copy of anything. There are different rules about multiple copies (eg. if you are handing out photocopies in a seminar); guidelines on multiple copies are available.

Scanning

You may use a scanner to copy for non-commercial research or private study under certain limited conditions. You should only scan for your own private use and you should not make your scanned copy available to other people (for example, by including it in a PowerPoint presentation or on a web site). You should not alter anything that you have scanned in any way. The guidelines below explain what sort of material you may scan or photocopy and how much of a publication you may scan or photocopy. Scanning facilities are available in the Library.

Copying from books

You may copy either one chapter from a book or 5% of a book.

Copying from journals

You may copy one article from one journal issue.

Short stories and poems

If a poem or short story is included in a collection of poems or stories, you may copy up to 10 pages of one short story or poem.

Law reports

You may copy the report of one case from an issue or volume of law reports.

Short books, pamphlets and British Standards

You may copy up to 10% of a British Standard. With other short publications (pamphlets, reports, other standards) which are up to 20 pages long, you may copy 2 pages.

Images

Images (illustrations, photos, diagrams and other pictures) may be copied by students for coursework. If you scan images for coursework, you should not alter them in any way or make them available to other people (for example, by including it in a PowerPoint presentation or on a web site).

Government publications

Most Government publications are treated like other books and journals. A few publications may be copied more freely; please ask for advice.

British newspapers (Oxford Brookes staff and students only)

You may photocopy or scan one article from one newspaper issue.

The Newspaper Licensing Agency allows more photocopying under the following special conditions:
You may not copy the whole of a newspaper issue but you may photocopy as much as you like up to that limit.
You may not make separate photocopies of illustrations or adverts in newspapers.
Each photocopy should be marked "NLA licensed copy. No further copies may be made except under licence". These rules apply only to photocopying on Oxford Brookes premises and only to British newspapers kept in the Library; please ask for advice about other newspapers.

Music

You may only copy a small excerpt from a musical work. Please ask for further advice about photocopying music.

Maps (Oxford Brookes staff and students only)

You may scan or photocopy an A4 extract from a sheet map. You may photocopy Ordnance Survey maps freely for educational purposes.

Out of copyright

Most material in the Library is still in copyright. The author's copyright lasts for 70 years after their death. The publisher's copyright is applicable even if the author has been long dead; this lasts for 25 years.