Responsibilities of Users of Electronic Resources

Guidelines for Faculty, Staff and Students

For the purposes of these guidelines, electronic resources include, but are not limited to, the databases we subscribe to (found on the databases page), the electronic journals we subscribe to (found via publication finder) and ebooks we own.  The guidelines for using electronic resources come from copyright law and/or licensing agreements.  Licensing agreements supersede copyright law. A failure to adhere to copyright law or the licensing agreements of the university could lead to a suspension of your access to these resources.

If you have questions about a specific resource, please contact the library.

Print resources follow fair use guidelines. Here is a Fair Use Evaluator to help you determine whether or not what you’d like to do is permissible under Fair Use.

The following information tends to be true for electronic resources.

Usually permitted

  • Viewing, downloading, copying, printing, and saving individual articles or search results
  • Using electronic materials in classes or in clinic for educational or scholarly purposes
  • Sending a copy of an article to another authorized user (NWHSU faculty, student or staff)
  • On Moodle, instructors may post a link (permalink when possible) to the electronic resource.

Usually not permitted

  • Systematic download (whether a person or a robot) and distribution of electronic resources provided by NWHSU
  • Using material obtained from our electronic resources for commercial gain
  • Sharing content with non-authorized users (posting to a discussion list, posting online, printing and disseminating to a group of non-NWHSU people)
  • Posting the publisher’s PDF to a class site (Moodle)
  • Downloading and copying an article to put in a course pack

Frequently Asked Questions (Scenarios)

Can I upload the PDF to my Moodle page? 

It is recommended, for electronic resources, that you post a link to the document.  For your off campus students, it’s recommended that you post a full citation in addition to the link so they can find the document through our ejournal finder.  If you’d like a direct link, including the login screen, please contact the library.  We can assist you in creating links that are accessible to on and off campus students.

Can I download and distribute articles with patients?

While you may share information found in articles or use our electronic resources to treat a patient, patients are not considered authorized users.

What if I want to share an article in a journal we don’t subscribe to with my students?

Please contact the library to discuss your options.