Special Materials

Music

The U.S. Copyright Law is designed to encourage the development of the arts and sciences by protecting the creative work of the individuals in our society—composers, authors, poets, dramatists, choreographers and others. The law deals first with the exclusive rights belonging to the owner of a copyright (which may be the composer or, if a deal has been cut, a publisher). These are things that only copyright holders can do—unless they grant specific permission to others

Media

Using different types of media such as images, photographs, art, video, etc., in papers, presentations, and in the classroom present a unique set of guidelines and laws. Users must be careful to comply with the copyright law when using media in their work. Since this technology is very new and ever-changing it is best to check for the most recent changes and additions to the law, though many of these can be covered under Fair Use.

Primary Sources

Primary sources are records that were created during the time of a particular event or era and written, recorded, or produced by those who lived and experienced that event or era. Primary sources may include diaries, letters, photographs, films, negatives, scrapbooks, minutes, government and public documents, oral histories and interviews, records of organizations or societies, newspaper or periodical articles, and personal papers of individuals. These materials may be unpublished or published.