Electronic Resources Access Policy

Electronic Resources License Restrictions

Access, use, and reproduction of the electronic journals, databases, and other resources made available through the Ithaca College Library is governed by contracts or license agreements between the college and publishers or vendors. In many cases, license agreements impose greater restrictions on use than does copyright law. This document is posted for informational purposes; members of the college community are expected to make reasonable and good faith efforts to comply with the terms of these agreements.

Remote and on-campus use of these resources is limited to current students, faculty, and staff of the College. Unfortunately, current contracts prohibit use of licensed library electronic resources (databases, ebooks, eserials) by alumni and retirees.

In using licensed electronic resources, all users should:

  • Limit uses to non-commercial, educational, or personal research purposes
  • Safeguard institutional access to resources by not sharing their user name and password

In general, users may:

  • Print, download, or quote limited amounts of information (with proper attribution)
  • Copy an article for your personal use in teaching or research
  • Create a link to a journal article on a publisher or aggregator web site

Users may not:

  • Systematically download large amounts of information
  • Post a copy of a published article to another server (e.g., a Canvas site or a departmental web site). Posting a link to an article is permissible, as it will require a current campus email account to gain access to the text.
  • Distribute copies of material to individuals or groups outside Ithaca College
  • Sell or distribute articles to individuals, institutions, or organizations
  • Share their user name and password

Users should be aware that publishers and the college monitor use levels of electronic resources to verify compliance with licensing agreements. Breach of license by a single user may cause a publisher to suspend the college’s access without warning and/or result in the user having their access to electronic resources suspended.

Users are also accountable for respecting guidelines described in the college’s all college computer and network use policy

Source: Grinnell College

Contact Us

Terri Ann Coronel
Electronic Resources Librarian
(607) 274-1892