Fair Use: "Under the fair use doctrine of the U.S. copyright statute, it is permissible to use limited portions of a work including quotes, for purposes such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, and scholarly reports. There are no legal rules permitting the use of a specific number of words, a certain number of musical notes, or percentage of a work. Whether a particular use qualifies as fair use depends on all the circumstances. See,Fair Use Index, and Circular 21, Reproductions of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians."(Source: Can I Use Someone Else's Work? Can Someone Else Use Mine?)
Public Domain works: These are works that have entered the "public domain" and are free to use and no longer have any common law protection. For specific information, please, refer to the U.S. Copyright Office website. These items don't require specific attribution, but it is often helpful and useful so that the user of the information can locate it in the future.*
Creative Commons works: Creative Commons is a "nonprofit organization that enables the sharing and use of creativity and knowledge through free legal tools." (From website) Their licenses make it easy for one to create a work and share it with others. Icons identifying types of licenses are explained here.
From Copyright Advisory Office at Columbia University Libraries, this site takes you through the steps necessary to determine if your use of an item qualifies as fair use.
Copyright Guidance
Need help? Contact Ann Penke, Library Director for copyright guidance. Phone her at 920.565.1038, 2416 or email her.
