The University of Waterloo Library has contracts with a variety of vendors and publishers that provide the campus with thousands of electronic resources (databases, e-journals, e-books, etc.) costing millions of dollars per year.
In addition to paying for these resources, the Library negotiates licence agreements that stipulate how and by whom a given resource may be used. Users must be currently registered faculty, students, or staff. Only these individuals will be registered with the proxy server for off-campus access. Access for the general public is made available through terminals within the Library.
If licence terms are violated by anyone, licensors may temporarily suspend access for the entire university community. In cases where a resolution cannot be reached, the vendor may have the right to permanently revoke a licence and access to the resource.
You can help prevent such problems by adhering to good practices and avoiding improper use. Here are some rules of thumb.
Usually OK:
- making a limited number of print or electronic copies for your personal use
- using materials for personal, instructional or research needs
- sharing with Waterloo faculty, staff and students
- posting links to specific content
Not OK:
- systematic or substantial printing, copying or downloading (such as entire journal issues)
- selling or re-distributing content, or providing access to someone outside of the university community, such as an employer
- sharing with people other than registered Waterloo faculty, staff and students
- posting actual content or articles to third party web sites or listservs
- modifying or altering the contents of licensed resources in any way
Always acknowledge your source on any published or unpublished document when you use data found on electronic resources.
Grey areas: Some licence agreements make express allowances for electronic reserves, course packs, multiple copies for classroom use and interlibrary lending. Other licences may prohibit one or more of these activities. If you have questions about a particular resource, please contact copyright@uwaterloo.ca.
