Choosing Resources for Remote Courses
How can I find images to display during online lectures?
Many creators freely share their copyrighted images under Creative Commons licenses or on websites with broad terms of use. You are free to use such works as long as you follow the terms set forth in the license agreement. For a list of royalty-free image resources, visit the BYU Copyright Licensing Office website. You might also consider whether your use of a particular image falls within the scope of fair use.
Can I link to online resources?
Generally, yes. Linking to publicly available online content like news websites, existing online videos, etc. is rarely a copyright issue. As a best practice, it is not recommended to link to existing content that is obviously infringing (e.g., feature films, TV episodes, or other typically-paid content posted to an individual's YouTube channel, lengthy book excerpts posted to an individual's blog, etc.). In addition to protecting you from potential copyright infringement liability, linking to legitimate sources decreases the likelihood of broken links.
How can I share text (book chapters, articles, etc.) with my students?
As always, the Library Course Reserve staff can help with making materials available to students online, linking to Library resources, finding ebooks where available, obtaining licenses from copyright holders when needed, and much more. If you want to share additional materials with students yourself, keep in mind some simple guidelines:
- Linking to authorized online sources is a preferred option.
- Directing students to subscription content available through the BYU Library is also a great option. For assistance linking to any particular Library content, contact library_reserve@byu.edu.
- Copying entire works is generally not recommended. Alternatively, copying limited portions of works to share with students will often be fair use. (The Fair Use Checklist and Interactive Fair Use Evaluation Log are helpful tools for analyzing fair use.)
More copyright questions? Need help?
Contact the BYU Copyright Licensing Office for further assistance.