The Health Sciences Library at Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences promotes adherence by the Lancaster General Community to the provisions of the United States Copyright Act (Title 17 United States Code) and the related acts defining proper use of copyrighted materials. We urge and expect that you will become familiar with, and abide by the terms of copyright law, fair use, and related regulations.
Librarians are available through the options below.
Please check Library News​ for any changes to hours including during semester breaks
Please note that appointments are encouraged to make sure a librarian is available to meet with you.
Fall and Spring semester Greenfield hours (Learning Commons at SJU in Lancaster):
Monday–Friday: 5:30 a.m.–11:00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 6:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Space only staffed Monday–Friday: 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. with other hours available by appointment
410 North Lime Street:
No regularly scheduled times are currently available. Please reach out to make an appointment.
Please check Library News​ for any changes to hours including during semester breaks
What is copyright?
The U.S. Copyright Office defines copyright as a "form of protection grounded in the U.S. Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Copyright covers both published and unpublished works."
What does copyright law protect?
Copyright, a form of intellectual property law, protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic work
s, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. Copyright does not protect facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed. (See Circular 1, Copyright Basics, section 'What Works Are Protected'.")
(United States Copyright Office. Copyright in General. Retrieved from http://copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html#what.)
What is not covered under copyright law?
Patents, trademarks, trade secrets
You can find the U.S. Copyright Law in its entirety at: http://copyright.gov/title17/
[U.S. Code Title 17, Chapters 108 and 10-12]
Disclaimer: This web page provides general information concerning copyright and fair use, but does not constitute legal advice.
A CC license allows you to use materials without seeking copyright permission; however there are different CC licenses and they have different stipulations on how you can use resources and how you must attribute them. Learn more at the Creative Commons website.
Also check out the link below which takes you to a video created by Millersville University during Open Access Week 2018.
