Responsible Use of Electronic Resources
Pierce Library contracts with many vendors and publishers to provide our patrons with electronic resources, in the form of databases and electronic journals. These resources are for the use of currently-enrolled EOU students and currently employed EOU faculty and staff. The library typically negotiates license agreements that stipulate how and by whom they may be used. If license terms are violated by anyone, licensors usually have the right to temporarily suspend access for the entire community. In some cases, licenses can be permanently revoked.
You can help prevent problems with our electronic resource providers by adhering to good practices and avoiding improper use. Here are some general guidelines:
Usually Acceptable
- Making limited print or electronic copies (such as single articles)
- Using databases for personal, instructional or research needs
- Sharing information from databases with EOU faculty, staff and students
- Posting links to specific content
Usually Not Acceptable
- Systematic or substantial printing, copying or downloading (such as entire journal issues or books)
- Selling or re-distributing content, or providing it to an employer
- Sharing database content or services with people other than EOU faculty, staff and students
- Posting actual content or articles to web sites or listservs
- Modifying, altering, or creating derivative works from EOU-licensed databases
Gray Areas
- Some resources allow inclusion for electronic reserves, course packs, and multiple copies for classroom use and interlibrary lending. Others explicitly forbid one or more of these activities. Contact us if you have questions.
Always acknowledge your source on any published or unpublished document when you use data from electronic resources.
