Calvin's Annual Copyright License covers a large catalog of text-based, copyrighted materials and includes important reproduction and distribution rights for the campus community. Please see the Provost's Office page with information about this resource, or see our summary below.  (Note that Hekman Library does not take responsibility for the campus Copyright Clearance Center license, but we can help you with copyright-related questions, to the best of our knowledge).

Because it provides institution-wide coverage for a large number of titles, the annual copyright license helps faculty and staff to save time, supports teaching and research, and ensures that the university is in compliance with copyright law. More specifically, it covers over 1 million titles, including journals, magazines, newspapers, and books; and it grants Calvin University employees and students the right to use and distribute print and electronic content from these titles in:

• Course reserves
• Postings in Moodle or Canvas
• Course packs
• Class handouts

It does NOT cover:

• The reproduction of all or substantially all a work
• The right to use, manipulate, or change a copyrighted work so that it does not substantially resemble the original
• The right to use a work for advertising or promotion
• The right to distribute copyright-protected works to anyone other than a Calvin employee or student, unless that person is collaborating on a research project sponsored by the university or seminary
• Interlibrary loan borrowing or lending
• Usage rights for audio, video, and images

Note: photographs and images included in a protected work may be shared, but only in the context of the work.

Tips for Using RightFind

To see if a title is covered by the university’s annual Copyright License with the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC):

1. Go to the RightFind Academic search page
2. Enter the title of the periodical or book. You can also search by ISSN or ISBN.
   Note: for articles, be sure to search for the title of the periodical, not the title of the article.
3. Click "Search".
4. On the search results page, find the publication title.
5. When you find the correct publication title, look in the "Annual License Holders" box on the right.
6. If "Academic License - Digital/Print" has a green check mark next to it, you are free to use this title in your course materials or share it with others at Calvin. You may continue to use the material for the duration of the library's license agreement with the CCC.
7. If "Terms" appears beneath "Academic License - Digital/Print," check to see what terms the publisher has placed on this item.  Some include:
   • "Permission for this title varies by date" - Enter the publication year and then click on the "Annual License Options" tab to see if the year is covered.
   • "Public Domain" - If a title is in the public domain, then you may freely share or distribute it.