Requesting Copies from Non-Fragile 20th-Century Books & Recent Secondary Sources

Books in good condition may be scanned to pdf by Collections' staff, subject to fair use copyright guidelines and Curator discretion. Scans are made according the guidelines below:

• Complete a Scan Request Form or make a copy request through SoonerXpress link the catalog record
• Scanning to pdf is performed by collections staff and emailed to the requestor at no charge
• Materials expected for use by multiple students will scanned and provided to faculty members
• Requests must comply with the library's copyright and fair use policies: no more than 2 chapters or articles, 50 pages, or 20% of any one book or journal volume, whichever comes first
• Approved requests may require more than 48 hours to be filled, not including weekends
• Requests will not be approved if pages are brittle, fragile, or torn, if the binding is tight, if the book or plates are too large, if the spine of the book might be damaged, or if the work is readily available in digital format (We will let you know if the item is available elsewhere in the library or available through online access)

Taking Pictures with Your Own Camera in the Reading Room:

Use of digital cameras or using phones/tablets to take pictures in the collections is generally permitted with prior authorization. See more about copy policies and restrictions in the copyright section below, especially for materials not in the public domain. Ask collections staff before taking any photographs of rare, fragile, or pre-20th century materials; for these materials, please fill out a Photography Request form.


Requesting Digitization of Rare & Fragile Materials:

You may request that selected pages (e.g., title pages, portraits, maps, illustrations, plates, etc.) from rare and fragile materials be considered for the University Libraries' digitization queue. The digitization protocol produces high quality images that are made available online for anyone to access at no charge. Digitization cannot be completed on short notice. Submit digitization requests to us via the online contact form.

• The BL5 Special Collections provide copies only for research use by the person requesting them. Copies provided are not to be used by other researchers or placed in any other library, museum, or repository.
• The BL5 Special Collections reserve the right to limit or deny copy requests of rare or fragile materials, and to limit copy activity that endangers the physical preservation of materials. All copy requests are subject to approval by collections' staff.
• No laws restrict copying of public domain materials. However, BL5 Special Collections reserve the right to limit or deny copying in order to protect materials which might be physically harmed as a result of such copying.
• Copies of non-fragile and contemporary materials are provided in the form of low resolution PDF scans sent by e-mail, usually within 48-hours of requests.  OU users can request copies of materials through SoonerXpress.  See below for copyright restrictions relating non-public domain materials.
• Interlibrary loan requests are not permitted for older, rare, and fragile materials; vault materials; or manuscripts, photographs, maps, posters, and sound recordings.
• The number of copies to be made from any manuscript or archival collection is limited to 500 pages.
• Use of Personal Copying and Recording Equipment: Researchers may request permission to photograph books and manuscripts using their own handheld devices. The photograph permission request form is available online and at the research desk. Photograph collections may not be photographed. All camera/device flashes are prohibited, and electronic equipment must not directly contact collection materials. Flatbed scanners are not allowed. All photography is subject to staff approval and supervision.

• The BL5 Collections do not claim copyright to materials in the collections. The researcher is responsible for determining copyright for any materials used.
• Permission to publish must be secured from the rights holders. Responsibility for determining the rights holders and adhering to copyright law rests with the researcher.
• The researcher is responsible for crediting the proper citation for any materials used.
• The BL5 Collections do not claim copyright to materials in the collections. The researcher is responsible for determining copyright for any materials used.
• Permission to publish must be secured from the rights holders. Responsibility for determining the rights holders and adhering to copyright law rests with the researcher.
• The researcher is responsible for crediting the proper citation for any materials used.

Published and unpublished materials may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. §§ 101-810), which governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Permission to publish must be secured from the rights holders. Responsibility for determining the rights holders and adhering to copyright law rests with the researcher. Any copies of published and unpublished materials provided by the BL5 Collections are for research, scholarship, and study purposes only, and are not to be placed on file in any other repository. Use of certain published materials and manuscripts is restricted by law, by reason of their origin, or by donor agreement. For the protection of its holdings, BL5 Special Collections also reserve the right to restrict the use of unprocessed materials, or books and documents of exceptional value and fragility. 

Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.
 
Only two chapters per book or two articles per journal issue may be copied, or 20 percent of a book or journal volume, not to exceed 50 pages (whichever comes first).
Only 20 percent of a musical score may be copied, as long as that portion copied does not comprise a performable unit of work.
No portion of a work intended by the publisher to be consumed by the original user may be copied (e.g. workbooks, etc.)