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Including Copyrighted Content in Moodle

Content from Licensed Databases

Copyright Considerations

Most licensed databases allow instructors to share copyrighted content such as articles, ebooks, and streaming videos to with students by posting a link to the licensed content (not a pdf or other document) on a password-protected site such as Moodle. Posting links facilitates the fair compensation of creators and copyright holders based on the actual usage of their content.

 

EXCEPTION: 

Content obtained as an electronic file through interlibrary loan or through personal access to another institution's licensed resources (i.e. databases that CUE Library does not license) can be shared by posting the file on Moodle, as the link to that content will not allow CUE students access. Such content must fall within the fair dealing guidelines described in the Content from Print Sources tab. Contact the Campus Copyright Officer for more information.

 

Technical Considerations

Aside from a legal obligation to link under the terms of most database licenses, there are other reasons why instructors should post links rather than PDFs (or other files):

  • Links conserve limited Moodle server space (note that files of videos and images can be very large)
  • Links maximize how much of a copyrighted work can be shared (e.g. an ebook link can provide access to the entire work, whereas digital rights management software often restricts downloaded files to a single chapter or preset percentage of an ebook)
  • Links ensure that students receive all the author and source information needed to cite a digital work, including the URL

 

Which Link to Post?

Instructors need to post stable URLs (sometimes called permalinks) to enable on- and off-campus access to content in CUE Library's licensed databases. Keep the following in mind:

  • The URL that appears in the browser when viewing an item in a licensed database is not always the link that provides CUE students with access. Check the following for step-by-step instructions for finding and sharing stable URLs in Moodle:
  • Instructors who teach at more than one post-secondary institution must ensure that they log into CUE Library's licensed resources to retrieve stable URLs rather than copying and pasting links from another institution's licensed resources or course management systems, as the latter will not allow CUE students to access the content because stable URLs are unique to each institution.