Library: Open Educational Resources (OER): Using & Licensing OER

Copyright Basics

This section will provide a brief introduction to copyright basics that you may encounter while using and licensing OER.

Fair Use Comic
This comic provides a basic overview of Fair Use with a real world example. It was created for Harvard Library OSC for Fair Use Week 2017.
Copyright Essentials for Educators
A tip sheet on copyright basics for educations from the Copyright Clearance Center.
Fair Use Checklist
A checklist created by the American Library Association.

The Original TEACH Act Toolkit
The TEACH Act is an update to section 110(2) of the copyright act. It is intended for whenever a copyrighted work is transmitted. This is especially relevant in distance education! Use this toolkit from LSU to learn more.

Creative Commons Licenses

Creative Commons licenses are the most widely used type of open license. There are six different Creative Commons licenses available, each with a different set of conditions for re-use and adaptation of works.

Always check the license to determine if your intended use of an OER falls within the license terms.

Learn more about Creative Commons licenses here, or check out Creative Commons for Educators and Librarians by Creative Commons, published by the American Library Association.

Attribution

The next step in using OER is to ensure you have correctly attributed the work. Except for works in the public domain, all works with a Creative Commons license require attribution.

An attribution requires four parts, which can be recalled with the acronym TASL:

Title: Give the title of the work if there is one provided.
Author: Give the author's name, ideally with link to their profile. The author is usually the copyright holder. If the copyright holder requests another entity, such as an institution, to be credited instead, attribute the work accordingly.
Source: Give the URL or hyperlink to where the original work can be found.
License: Give the CC License that was applied to the work you are using, and provide a link to the license deed.

Example of a correct attribution for a work you have reused:

The SIFT graphic by Mike Caulfield (2019) is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

More information about how to attribute sources can be found on the Creative Commons Wiki.