The University of Nebraska Lincoln Libraries contracts with a wide range of vendors and publishers to provide patrons with access to thousands of electronic resources (journals, ebooks, databases, and other online materials) costing millions of dollars per year.

U.S. Copyright Law (including provisions for “fair use”) and contractual license agreements govern access to, use of, and reproduction of these resources. The University Libraries and its partners aim to negotiate license terms that ensure the broadest possible support for the noncommercial research, teaching, learning, and scholarly activities of current UNL faculty, staff, and students (“authorized users”). Most licensed electronic resources can also be accessed by visitors on the Libraries’ premises.

Violation of the terms of electronic resource licenses by individual users may result in termination of access, for the individual and the entire University. Publishers may also seek legal recourse. Library patrons can help ensure compliance with license terms by respecting the following general principles for responsible use of electronic resources.

Permitted Uses

In general, electronic resources licenses permit authorized users to:

Download, temporarily store, and print copies of a reasonable portion of individual items from a licensed resource for personal academic purposes
Share copies of individual items with other UNL authorized users
Post links to licensed content on websites.