Requesting Permission: Info, Links, and Tips

Requesting permission can be a long and time consuming process.  In order to help alleviate some of the confusion please see the information, links and tips below. 

At this time, the Library will request permission and will:

● respond to faculty requests as quickly as possible
● act as an intermediary between publishers and the requester
● follow the same procedures outlined
● use our resources, skills, and knowledge to request permission effectively and promptly
● gather information on publishers and images to improve future copyright issues

However, keep in mind that the library cannot:

● speed up the permissions response times

● guarantee a positive permission response

If you want the library to request permission, please provide the following information:

Books/Journal Articles

● Title
● Author
● Year of Publication
● Course Name
● Estimated number of students
● Figure numbers for the images and the pages they appear on
● Your contact information
● Additional information may be necessary, depending on the publisher

For requests for mediums other than images see the University of Texas’ Permissions Info

Information for individuals requesting permission

How do I determine who the copyright holder is?

If you know the source of the material, information about the copyright holder can often be found in the source.  Look at the specific image to check for any notes or if the copyright holder appears.  The copyright holder may be an individual or a publisher.

1. Copyright Holder is an Individual

If the copyright holder is an individual, find their contact information.  It may appear in the book or articles, but likely can also be found on the web.  Often, you will need to send an email to the person directly requesting permission to use the image. For the type of information to include in the request see What information should be included when requesting permission.

2. Copyright Holder is a Publisher

If the copyright holder is a publisher, locate their contact information from the source or on the web.  Sometimes this is a straightforward process, but for older materials it may be more difficult, since publishers may merge or change hands or new editions may be produced under a new publisher that may or may not have the rights to previous editions. At this time, the library will aid in determining the correct publisher to contact for permission.           

Before requesting permission, double check the image to ensure that the publisher you are contacting holds the copyright to the image.  Images in a book are generally copyrighted by the publisher.  However in certain circumstances, notes may appear in the text stating that the image has been reprinted from another source with permission.  In this case, the original copyright holder must be contacted. 

Resources for determining who the copyright holder is:

● Copyright Clearance Center
● Specific Publishers’ Websites 
           

What information should be included when requesting permission?

            Title
            Author
            ISBN number
            Exact page numbers and images that will be reproduced
            Where and why the image will be reproduced
            The number of students who will have access to the image
            The Course Name and description
            Time frame of permission (one semester or multiple)

The publisher will generally specify any further information they need.  Keep in mind, that they might need a copy of the title page, the acknowledgements page, and/or a copy of the images as well as other specific information.

Links to common publishers’ permissions pages/forms

Academic Press is now Elsevier (see link below)

Elsevier

Holt McDougal  (previously Holt, Rinehart, & Winston)

Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins 

McGraw-Hill

Sinauer Associates

Tips for requesting permission

● Request permission with enough time to wait for the reply (which could be up to 6 to 8 weeks)

● Print a record for each of the permissions requested

● Keep track of any communication with the publisher for future use

● If you receive permission, keep a copy for your own records

What are the responses I can expect after requesting permission?

1.    The publisher/copyright holder grants permission and the image(s) can be included in the PowerPoint with attribution.  A record of the permission should be kept and a note should be placed in the slides notes section.

2.    The publisher/copyright holder grants permission with a fee.  Many publishers charge fees even to educational institutions, and some fees can be as high as $50 per image per use.  If this occurs, obtain alternative images from the list of images that do not require permission.  The library can also assist in finding alternative images.

3.    Permission is denied. The image cannot be used in the PowerPoint, and an alternative image should be used from the list of images that do not require permission.