Copyright can be a confusing issue in many cases. Is it ok to show a video in class? What about uploading it onto IvyLearn? Librarians are not lawyers; however, they may offer some assistance in dealing with intellectual property law.

The library can offer guidelines on what constitutes fair use in the classroom for using material or putting it online. If there is an issue with needing to get rights, we can offer some assistance in what may need to be done or who to contact to get the permissions needed.

Some common practices you may want to double-check as regards "fair use":

• Showing a video as a "reward" to a class, if it is not relevant to the course material, is not fair use
• Using music to spice up a presentation, if it is not relevant to the course material, would not be fair use
• If you use a student paper from a previous course as an example to other students, get permission to do so from the student author.
• Avoid reusing the same material for a course. While fair use initially, get permission to use the material if you plan to keep using it.

The library has copies of the MLA and APA guides available if you wish to look through them.

Ivy Tech also subscribes to a service called NoodleTools, an online citation generator and manager. Students can use this to generate citations by filling out forms which ask for the relevant information in a source. It also allows faculty to create a class/assignment drop box that students join after which the instructor can see their citation lists and offer comments. If you're interested in making use of this feature, feel free to contact the library for help.