It may help you to know that in terms of copyright you have the exact same rights as well as restrictions on Brightspace as you would have in the classroom.
For a quick recap here are things to keep in mind when transferring materials to a virtual classroom.
What type of material am I transferring?
- Is this material that you have created?
- Is this material that is out of copyright © (eg. 70 years after the death of the © holder)?
- Are you using an insubstantial portion of a work (eg. 1 – 2 paragraphs)?
If the answer to these questions is YES, you can proceed to upload to Brightspace.
Are you using an article from an e-journal or an e-book found within the Library database?
Please check the permitted uses and use the library Reading List Builder to upload the materials to Brightspace. For more information on Reading List Builder.
Are you using materials that are publicly available on the Internet?
Whenever possible, linking to the material is preferred. If you wish to create a pdf/doc and copy the material to Brightspace, you may do so only if:
- The material appears to be legitimately posted (by or with the consent of the © owner).
- There is NO clearly visible notice prohibiting what you want to do.
- There is NO digital lock preventing you from accessing or copying the material.
- You give credit to the author and the website (cite your sources)!
Are you using a scanned book chapter, article from a journal not licensed by the Library?
If you are scanning and uploading print material, you can copy material under the George Brown Fair Dealing Policy. This policy provides guidelines for posting materials for your students without seeking permission from copyright holders. For example, this policy allows you to scan and post up to 10% or one chapter (whichever is greater) of a book to Blackboard.
More information
Contact Copyright Services if:
- You are using material that is in excess of the limits of the fair dealing policy.
- You are using materials not covered in this quick guide.
Email your questions to hbuffett@georgebrown.ca OR your liaison librarian.
