After careful consideration, Humber College has decided to join other Canadian post-secondary institutions including York University, Queen’s University, University of Guelph, University of British Columbia and the University of New Brunswick and will not extend its licence agreement with the copyright collective, Access Copyright. The Academic Schools have worked with the Copyright Librarian to prepare for this change which will take effect September 1, 2012.

As an academic institution, we are committed to the sharing of knowledge, respect for intellectual property rights, appropriate payment to rights holders and the fair application of copyright law. Humber is choosing the option which best serves the fundamental and long-term interests of our academic community based on the following factors:

• The legislative approval of the Copyright Modernization Act in June 2012 and recent Supreme Court of Canada decisions which support broader educational uses of copyrighted material.
• Ready access to Humber’s extensive collection of licensed e-journals, e-books and databases through the Humber Library. Materials in the collection are funded on an annual basis and can be legally and appropriately accessed for teaching and learning.
• The limited indemnity offered through the Access Copyright license since the license only permits limited copying of a work and only with respect to materials included in the Access Copyright repertoire.

Humber will continue to refine our policies and guidelines to support this transition. An explanation of fair dealing and how it supports the distribution of published works will be available mid-August. Details on appropriate copying under the concept of fair dealing will be available at library.humber.ca > For Faculty > Copyright Issues.

If you have any questions regarding the appropriate use of print and digital materials, please contact library copyright staff at copyright@humber.ca.