HOW TO OBTAIN PERMISSION

When use of photocopied material requires permission, you must communicate complete and accurate information to the copyright owner. The American Association of Publishers suggests that the following information be included in a permission request letter in order to expedite the process:

The request should be sent, together with a self-addressed return envelope, to the permissions department of the publisher in question. If the address of the publisher does not appear in the front of the material, it may be readily obtained in a publication entitled The Literary Marketplace, published by the R.R. Bowker Company and available in the library reference collection (call number: Reference PN 161 .L5).

The process of granting permission requires time for the publisher to check the status of the copyright and to evaluate the nature of the request. It is advisable, therefore, to allow enough lead time to obtain permission before the materials are needed, at the very least three weeks. In most cases, publishers are very generous in granting permission. In some instances, the publisher may assess a fee for the permission. It is not inappropriate to pass this fee on to the students who receive copies of the photocopied material.

The Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) also has the right to grant permission and collect fees for photocopying rights for certain publications. Libraries may copy from any journal which is registered with the CCC and report the copying beyond fair use to CCC and pay the set fee.

SAMPLE LETTER REQUESTING PERMISSION TO COPY