COLLECTIONS: Interlibrary Loan & Document Delivery

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material.

Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to provide a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific 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.

Stony Brook University Libraries reserves the right to refuse a request for material if fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.

Interlibrary loan staff are guided by Title 17 of the U. S. Code and CONTU guidelines, which provide guidance on Sections 107 and 108 of the U. S. Copyright Act.

Under fair use, a "reasonable" amount of journal articles may be requested through interlibrary loan. CONTU guidelines suggest using the "rule of five:" For copies of material requested from issues published in the last five years, only five articles may be requested in a  calendar year from a single title. The sixth article and any following are subject to copyright royalties.

It is important that users adhere to the copyright restrictions on material requested through interlibrary loan. Material obtained through interlibrary loan should be used for one's personal research and should not be shared with others or used for profit. Interlibrary loaned material may not be used for course reserves.

See the research guide on Copyright.