Question: How is it legal to digitize copyrighted textbooks? Isn't that piracy?
Answer: We remain within copyright law's parameters by following several legal exemptions, including the TEACH Act. We do not digitize whole books, only the portions required for the class; quantity permitted under Fair Use depends on a number of factors that can only be determined in court, so all we can do is try our best for our students; access to the scans is strictly limited to students enrolled only in that single course section; access to material is strictly limited to the duration of the course.
Question: if the library can mass digitize large quantities of textbook chapters, why can't we extend this service to include greater numbers of expensive textbooks?
Answer: Copyright Law.
For more information about copyright, contact Amanda Langdon (ANLangdon@adams.edu) or Tyler Eagan (TBEagan@adams.edu).
Nielsen Library makes use of every legal exemption to Copyright Law possible, including Section 107 (Fair Use), Section 108 (Library exemptions), and the TEACH Act (digital/online provision of materials, namely 'locking' material behind logins through Blackboard and LibApps).
Course Reserves are a money-saving stop-gap to help students who are unable to afford expensive materials, but there are limitations. Frequently, there is only one copy of each text available. Students may have to wait for items. Distance or commuting students may not be able to easily access the library; the same is true of students with multiple jobs.
A more permanent solution is OER -- Open Educational Resources -- Openly Licensed material without the limitations of traditionally-published digital textbooks. Most digital textbooks contain DRM (Digital Rights Management) software, which prohibits downloads and printing. This ensures that students cannot share material, but it also further excludes students who do not have reliable internet or a tech device to access online materials. (15% of ASU students, internal survey) OER can be printed or saved as PDFs for offline reading.
The library has a Research Guide dedicated to OER for more information.
