Don't forget, however, that fair use exists within a larger context. When we create materials in an educational setting, fair use is part of a web of authority we rely on to use others' works. No one strategy is enough today. Our libraries license millions of dollars' worth of academic resources for our use every year. And there are millions of Creative Commons licensed works available online. We rely on implied licenses to make reasonable academic uses of the works we find freely available on the open web. And we rely on fair use.
If you can't find what you want to use among your libraries' offerings, or on the web or through Creative Commons, and your use doesn't qualify as fair use, getting permission is becoming easier every day. For pointers to collective rights agencies, information about transactional and subscription licenses, and important considerations in the process of obtaining permissions, please see getting permission. If you have a choice about what materials you use for a particular purpose, consider also that you can eliminate the need for item-by-item- permission to use others' works if you choose works that are already licensed for the use you plan to make. For example, there may be appropriate materials for your purposes already licensed by your library; appropriate materials may be available with Creative Commons licenses that allow nonprofit educational uses without permission; or materials may be freely available online that carry implied rights to make uses as you plan. Information about these choices is available in accessing and using library resources, at Creative Commons, in content on the web, and managing your copyrights.
More information
If you are associated with the University of Texas at Austin as faculty, staff, or student and have questions about the UT Austin Copyright Clearance Center license, please contact Colleen Lyon.
