• copyright,  library

    sharing is caring????????

    hey! I was wondering what the big copyright stamp/page at the beginning of some of my readings entails? Does uoft really own the material even if it was by some random author at some random time? I have american friends in a different university that i sometimes like to help out by sending pdfs of my readings, but is that not allowed?

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    hey hey,

    i actually have… no clue what you’re referring to? i’d need to have a look at the actual copyright stamp or page to even begin deciphering it, and i’ve probably got as much experience with that as you do. not gonna lie, most of my readings just… start at the first paragraph, or page, or whatever. or i download them off of JSTOR, which outlines its intellectual property stuff here. 

    i’d give it a close read, google any terms you’re unfamiliar with, and try to piece the situation together that way. if you’re not authorized to distribute your readings, then i think any copyright notice included will make that pretty clear. just use your best guess/common sense, and roll with that, i guess.

    as a student myself, i can understand that you’d want to help your friends access materials that they might have trouble getting a hold of. i have no clue how copyright laws work cross-border. that does complicate things a bit.

    i’d actually reach out to a librarian if you want a more concrete answer. i feel like they’re the kinds of people who would know things like this. if you’re aware of your personal librarian at u of t, that might be a good place to start. you can just pose your questions in general, hypothetical terms if you’re worried about repercussions.

    sorry i couldn’t be more helpful! if you wanna send me screenshots of what you’re referring to, i can try and investigate a lil further. but yeah, personal librarian. get in touch.

    be Boundless,

    aska