Copyright and Fair Use

Disclaimer The information presented here is only general information. Legal advice must be provided in the course of an attorney-client relationship specifically with reference to all the facts of the particular situation under consideration. Updated January 28, 2011 Consistent with BOR Policy IV-3.20, the UMUC Library has developed guidelines for the use of copyrighted materials. The UMUC Library addresses copyright and intellectual property issues because of its role in teaching and promoting information literacy. An Introduction to Copyright What Is Copyright? Simply put, "copyright is a legal device that provides the creator of a work of art or literature, or a work that conveys information or ideas, the right to control how the work is used" (Fishman, 2008, p. 6).The intent of copyright is to advance the progress of knowledge by giving an author of a work an economic incentive to create new works (Loren, 2000, para. 12). What Can be Copyrighted? What Cannot be Copyrighted? Top Notes

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) Family Policy Compliance Office (FPCO) Home The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student's education records maintained by the school. Schools may disclose, without consent, "directory" information such as a student's name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance. For additional information, you may call 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327) (voice). Or you may contact us at the following address:

Background Information - Open Educational Resources - UMUC Subject Resources at University of Maryland University College OERs started as a grassroots movement by educators worldwide. Funded by grants and private donations (particularly from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, which has already given more than $110 million in support of OERs), the OER movement has attempted to bring into the educational process groups who have been traditionally shut out, including K-12 teachers, scientists and engineers working in the industry rather than in academia, and those who aren’t fluent in English. The OER movement’s goal is to make education available to everyone around the world (particularly those in the developing world, who could not otherwise afford an education, as well as self-learners). The OER movement has become an institutional movement as well, with early pioneers such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology putting an increasing amount of course material – including complete course lectures – online.