Obtaining permission for copyrighted materials

When a use of photocopied material requires that you request permission, you should communicate complete and accurate information to the copyright owner. First check the publication to see if there are any specific procedures for obtaining copyright permission for that particular work. The American Association of Publishers suggests that the following information be included in a permission request letter in order to expedite the process:

• Title, volume and issue number, author and/or editor, and edition of materials to be duplicated
• Exact material to be used, giving amount, page numbers, chapters and, if possible, a photocopy of the material
• Number of copies to be made
• Type of reprint (ditto, photography, offset, typeset)
• Dates of usage
• Form of distribution (classroom, newsletter, on Reserve in the library, etc.)
• Whether or not the material is to be sold

The request should be sent, together with a self-addressed return envelope, to the permission department of the publisher in question. If the address of the publisher does not appear at the front of the material, it may be readily obtained in a publication entitiled The Literary Marketplace, published by the R.R. Bowker Company. This volume is located in the Reference Department on the first floor of the library, at call number PN 161 L5 REF.

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. In some instances, the publisher may assess a fee for the permission.