Internet and Computer Use Policies

Introduction

Wilder Library provides computer terminals with access to electronic resources to enhance the academic experience of students, faculty and staff. Terminals in the Reference and Periodicals areas on the first floor of the library may be used only to search for information. Computers for word processing purposes are available on the second floor of the library.

Use of library computers is restricted to Virginia Union University students, faculty, staff and alumni. Users of computer terminals should respect the rights of others by acting responsibly and courteously. Wilder Library expects all patrons to comply with local, state and federal laws regarding the use of computers. Library faculty and staff reserve the right to monitor computer usage in order to track problems and to insure equal and appropriate access for all users.

Paper copies of our telecommunications policies are available upon request.

Acceptable Use

• Highest priority in the Reference and Periodicals areas is given to patrons searching for course-related information.
• Highest priority in the Computer Lab is given to patrons using word processing.
• Second highest priority is given to patrons searching for course-related information.
• Medium priority is given to patrons searching for information with an educational or research benefit indirectly related to coursework.
• Lowest priority is given to recreational use and personal communications.
• Patrons may use library computers for e-mail if no one needs to use those computers for searching or word processing purposes. Users must sign in at the Reference or Periodicals desks or in the Computer Lab for a 15-minute time period. Terminals may be used for longer periods is no one else wishes to use them. Patrons who do not sign in to use the computers will automatically be given lowest priority of use, and will be asked to leave before patrons who have signed in.

Unacceptable Use

The use of unlicensed software on library computer systems and the copying of library licensed software is prohibited. No software may be installed on or deleted from university computers.

• Use of chat rooms is prohibited.
• Viewing of pornography is prohibited.
• Games are prohibited.

Use of library computers for purposes of personal or private gain, including business or commercial purposes unrelated to university-sanctioned scholarship, is prohibited.

University resources may not be used for obscene or harassing behavior or in way that would abridge another person’s right to privacy.

Usernames (i.e. login id) and passwords are assigned as a service of Virginia Union University. Users should not give passwords to other persons, as users assume responsibility for any unauthorized or illegal use of their accounts.

Violation of These Policies

If a member of the library faculty or staff encounters a patron violating the library’s computer use policy, he or she may first ask the user to leave the terminal. If the user refuses to give up the computer terminal, the librarian or staff member will call security, after which an incident report will be submitted to the Vice President for Student Affairs.

Violation of the above policies may result in suspension of library and/or computer use privileges, including access to all computer labs. Such suspension will remain in effect until the matter can be dealt with according to the procedures outlined in the Code of Student Conduct and the Faculty or Staff Handbook as appropriate.

NOTE: Minors wishing to use Wilder Library’s Electronic Resources must first obtain parental consent and fill out our Internet User Agreement and Parental Permission Form.

Electronic Mail (E-Mail) Policies

Introduction

Virginia Union University provides, manages and maintains an electronic mail infrastructure that provides access to wide range of computing networks for the day-to-day activities of the University faculty, students and staff. E-mail services are provided on university owned computing and networking systems to further the university’s mission of research and instruction. Use of e-mail should be consistent with this mission and policy.

E-mail use is based on common sense, common decency and civility applied to the electronic communications environment. All use is subject to the laws of the United States of America and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

E-mail can potentially create legal liability for the institution or its faculty, staff and students, and other authorized persons. Communications in this medium are protected by the same laws and policies, and are subject to the same limitations as communications in other media. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) of 1986 has made it illegal to intercept electronic communications on a public or private network without proper authorization. Outside sources are prohibited from access to these electronic messages but authorized personnel may have access without violating this Act. Users should, therefore, exercise caution when committing confidential information to electronic media because the confidentiality of such material cannot be guaranteed.

Responsible Use

• Users of the electronic mail system will not create any offensive, disruptive, or unsolicited messages. Messages considered offensive are those containing sexual implications, racial slurs, gender-specific comments, or any other comments that offensively address an individual’s age, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, national origin or disability.
• Users shall not use a code or access a file to retrieve any electronic information, unless authorized to do so.
• Users should not attempt to gain access to another individual’s messages without specific permission.
• Users will respect the legal ramifications of keeping/storing e-mail. These records, perhaps more than paper records, may be subject to discovery, and therefore are admissible in court proceedings.
• Users will not use their accounts for commercial purposes.
• Users will not misrepresent their identity or affiliation in e-mail communications.
• Users will not cause congestion on the network by such things as the propagation of "chain letters", "broadcasting", inappropriate messages to lists or individuals, or excessive use of the shared data store of the e-mail system.

NOTE: Minors wishing to use e-mail at Wilder Library must first obtain parental consent and fill out our Internet User Agreement and Parental Permission Form.

Copyright Information

• What Is Copyright?

• What Works are Protected?

• What Works Are Not Protected?

• Examples of Copyright Violations in Academia

The  Library and Copyright Issues

• L. Douglas Wilder Library Policy on Copyright

• Software Copyright Policy

• Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)

• Copyright FAQs

What Is Copyright?

Copyright is a form of protection intended to protect the authors of "original works of authorship," including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works.

This protection is provided by the laws of the United States under title 17 of the U.S. Code and is available to both published and unpublished works.

Section 106 of the 1976 Copyright Act gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to do so and to authorize others to do the following:

• To duplicate the work in copies
• To create comparable works based upon the work
• To distribute copies or phonorecords of the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending
• To perform the work publicly in the case of literary, musical, dramatic and choreographic works, pantomimes, and motion pictures and other audiovisual works
• To display copyrighted work publicly in the case of literary, musical, dramatic and choreographic works, pantomimes, and motion pictures and other audiovisual works

It is illegal for anyone to violate any of the rights provided by the copyright law to the owner of copyrighted work.

What Works Are Protected?

1. Literary works
2. Musical works, including any accompanying words
3. Dramatic works, including any accompanying music
4. Pantomimes and choreographic works
5. Pictorial, graphic and sculptural works
6. Motion pictures and other audiovisual works
7. Sound recordings
8. Architectural works
9. Photographs
10. Museum reproductions of paintings or other works of art

These categories are to be viewed broadly. These categories do not necessarily cover every type of material that can be copyrighted.

What Works Are Not Protected?

Several categories of material are usually not eligible for federal copyright protection. These include but are not limited to the following:

1. Works that have not been fixed in a tangible form of expression such as choreographic works that have not been notated or recorded
2. Improvisational speeches or performances that have not been written or recorded.
3. Titles, names, short phrases, and slogans
4. Common symbols or designs
5. Slight variations of typographic ornamentation, lettering or coloring
6. Simple listings of ingredients or contents
7. Ideas, procedures, processes, principles, discoveries, or devices as distinguished from a description, explanation, or illustration
8. Works consisting solely of information that is common property and containing no original authorship (for example: standard calendars, height and weight charts, tape measures and rulers, etc)

Examples of Copyright Violations In Academia

• A faculty member places several full-text articles on the class web page. The web page is not password protected and can be read by anyone with access to the Internet.
• A student uses a corporate logo on a personal web page without permission from the copyright holder.
• A faculty member scans graphics from books and includes them on the class web page but does not include the origin of the graphics on the web page.
• A university staff member uses a published photograph as background for his/her web site without first obtaining permission from the copyright holder.
• Students use Napster or similar utilities to download copyright protected music without permission from the copyright holder.

L. Douglas Wilder Library Policy On Copyright

Copyright is a form of protection intended to provide the authors of original works of authorship a measure of control over their creations. Copyright issues are of particular concern because protected materials can be copied and transmitted with ease in the digital age. It is the responsibility of all students, staff and faculty at Virginia Union University to understand and comply with copyright laws.

A basic guide to understanding copyright can be found at Copyright Basics, a web site created by the U.S. Copyright Office and the Library of Congress. http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/circs/circ1.html

Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)

The protection offered by copyright law extends not just to those works that are published, printed materials such as books and magazine articles but also to those works that are unpublished. The DMCA ensures copyright protection for all forms of a work including its digital transmission and use.

Copyright FAQs

A work is protected as soon as it is created. Assume copyright protection even if you don't see a notice of copyright on the work.

Public domain materials are those works without a copyright. In these cases, the works are considered to be in the public domain because:

• The copyright has expired.
• The author never claimed copyright.
• The works are created by the federal government.

No. This is a copyright violation. In addition, only five requests may be made from a periodical title going back five years.

Fair use refers to a statutory law that makes it permissible to limited amounts of a work for reasons relating to criticism, news reporting and scholarly endeavors. However, there is no rule governing the specific percentage of the work that can be used.

Fair use allows a teacher to make a single copy for educational purposes. Fair use uses four factors in determining whether or not an article qualifies:

• Purpose and character of the use
• Nature of the copyrighted work
• Amount and substantiality used
• Market effect of the material used

No. A compilation of previously published works into a new compilation would be considered a new publication.