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In order to balance the interests of the creators of copyrighted works with the public's ability to benefit from those works, copyright law includes the exemption of Fair Use.
Fair use allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission for purposes such as criticism, parody, news reporting, research and scholarship, and teaching.
However, just because a use is educational does not mean that it automatically qualifies as fair use. When using content for certain purposes it is important to consider copyright and if you might be infringing on it.
Fair Use Evaluator - American Library Association
Stanford Copyright & Fair Use Center - Stanford University Libraries
Reproduction of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians - U.S. Copyright Office
ACRL
An independent researcher is someone who conducts self-directed research without being affiliated with an academic institution. For these individuals, getting access to academic resources may be challenging if they don't have ready access to a library that subscribes to scholarly databases.
That being said, there are several ways independent researchers can still gain access to this essential material. Below we have outlined how SLC graduates can get access to scholarly sources:
Visit campus to use the SLC library:
If you are still in the NYC metropolitan area, you are welcome to visit campus to use the library's resources. Register with the Information desk for a year at a time free of charge to borrow books for four weeks and videos for one week. There is a limit of five items at a time. If you're on campus and using the College's WiFi, you'll be able to access all of the databases to which the college subscribes.
Get familiar with your public library:
In addition to popular books, movies, and magazines, for example, many public libraries offer an impressive array of research collections and services. In addition to providing access to scholarly databases, many public libraries participate in interlibrary loan, which allows patrons to check out books and other materials from other libraries. Use Worldcat's Find a Library tool to search for libraries in your area.
Use WorldCat to discover items:
You can continue to use SLC's WorldCat Discovery Tool, or simply visit the WorldCat website, to find resources in a library near you. Click on a resource you are interested in, then look at the "Find a copy in the library" section to see local libraries based on your zip code.
Look into funding sources:
Another avenue you may want to explore as an independent researcher is obtaining funding through grants awarded by organizations. Independent researchers can identify grant opportunities related to their research interests and focus, and then apply to receive funding to support their work. There are many government and non-profit organizations that offer grants. To start identifying sources, search on Grants.gov, or search the Foundation Center's online grant directory.
Get acquainted with Open Access:
Though technically anything available on the internet is Open Access, the term Open Access most often refers to scholarly resources that are freely available and do not require individuals to have an institutional affiliation or subscription. Use plug-ins to find OA resources on the internet, and browse SLC library's list of open access resources here.
What is Open Access?
Simply put, open access refers to content that is available for free online. Open access content also often has fewer restrictions on copying and reusing the material. Open access can be useful for your research, and it is also something for you to think about as you create your own work.
There are two types of open access that you can use to make your work freely available:
See the resources below for more information.
Learn More
Image retrieved from https://www.plos.org/open-access/
