Posting copyrighted works in Online Classrooms (including portions of textbooks owned by the school) is regulated in the United States by the Teach Act whose guidelines are overviewed as "requirements" at the bottom of page one here.
Using copyrighted works for handouts, powerpoints, papers, etc.? This Fair Use checklist is very helpful, but dated 2005. Concepts of fair use are starting to expand as shown by this 2008 information about posting online (next section.)
If you are posting an image or material online in Google Docs or at your web site, be sure you are acting responsibly and with honesty. - Don't post it if you are making a mistake described in the red boxes.
- The blue boxes show you when you MAY post copyrighted material.
1) You MUST follow the guidelines and give credit immediately next to the work. (Otherwise, you are claiming that you created it, and that's plagiarism-- yikes!) 2) You SHOULD use only the material that people have given permission to
use or that is considered "Fair Use for Educational Purposes." Therefore, - Find Creative Commons licensed work that grants you such
permission.
- Write
the publisher of the work a letter or e-mail to gain permission. (See sample letter.) Please note that Ebsco
has so far denied us permission to post their images. You can contact
the original publisher of that image (the magazine) that Ebsco got it
from for permission if you need it badly, or
- Create your own images to post instead of copying someone else's. (Get your camera out, or scan your own artwork! Make your own digital creations!)
3) You MIGHT be
permitted to post a copyrighted image (even without getting written permission) if it is being used t o promote
discussion or learning about media literacy and communication. It is very important to be responsible with your postings. The chart above is designed to help you understand "Fair Use" guidelines for posting. If in doubt, discuss the purposes of your posting with your librarian or teacher. Use the
5 principles outlined at the web site here if you are not certain; our chart above summarizes them. If in doubt, don't post someone else's creative product (just provide a hyperlink to the web page where it exists) because respecting intellectual property is important for all TAS students. We're information savvy learners!
More resources for guidance on copyright issues:LibraryLaw BlogUS Copyright Office and Fair Use | 
