Copyright for Faculty: Online Use

If your course readings are from licensed library databases, you can eliminate the need for permission or fee by simply providing your students a link to the work instead of making a copy of the work and posting it to Blackboard or other website. The Library licensed databases have the functionality of creating a permanent link to specific licensed content that can be used in Leaning Management Systems such as Blackboard.

*WARNING*--simple bookmarks or just copying url's from the top address bar of library database web pages does *not* usually work for links. Usually these contain temporary data like session keys that will not work after a few minutes.

In order to create a persistent link, look for options like “Permalink”, "Embed", "Bookmark" (ok if an actual database option shown), or "Share".  These options will provide a persistent link that can be copied.  However, steps to locate a persistent link will vary depending on the database that the article is in.  

Examples:

How to Link to a Search from the Library "Search Everything" (Ebsco Discovery System):

1. Perform a search through the Search Everything tab on the Library website.
2. Above the list of search results, in the top right portion of the screen, click on the “share” button.
3. Inside the popup box under “Use Permalink” will be the persistent link to the search that can be copied.

How to Link to an Article from the Library "Search Everything" (Ebsco Discovery System):

1. Perform a search through the Search Everything tab on the Library website, and find the desired article.
2. Click on the article to get to the detailed record. 
3. Under “Tools” on the right side of the record click on “Permalink.”
4. At the top of the record (above the title of the article) the word “Permalink” will appear and next to that will be the persistent link that can be copied.

For help creating permalinks to licensed materials from library databases click here.