Video Resources
The Fetzer Media Center, located on the first floor of Upjohn Library Commons, holds over 4,000 video and DVDs in its collection. The collection includes over 1000 documentaries and the complete 332 set of the PBS Video Collection of America's History and Culture. Videos only circulate to current faculty, staff, and students of Kalamazoo College.
So, you want to show a movie on campus...Great! Film screenings directly related to a specific class and shown only to those enrolled in the class do not require a separate license. However, videos screened for other purposes, such as at student organization events or when a screening is open to the greater college community, require Public Performance Rights (PPR). The good news is that many of the documentaries the college already owns on relavent topics and current events have PPR. Just stop by the Media Services desk between 8a - 5p M-F so we can show you how to search the catalog for an approved video that suits your event. If you have any questions as to whether a film screening will need PPR, please review the Kalamazoo College Video Use Copyright Policy below.
Current Kalamazoo College Faculty and Teaching Assistants may request videos and DVD's to be shown in class. Please use this online form or contact Media Services to make a reservation. Media Services actively orders and schedules film, video, and CD for academic and administrative use. Film and video orders should be made with as much advance time as possible to assure availability. A variety of resource information is available at the Media Center for faculty interested in researching appropriate media titles and subject matter. Funds for rental and purchase of audiovisual materials are available. The Associate Director will work closely with departmental chairpersons to determine the needs within the budgets.
Current Kalamazoo College Students may borrow videos and DVD's any time the library is open, and the loan period is 24 hours. To request a video or DVD, take the title and call number to the Circulation Desk. Only Information Services staff may retrieve videos or DVD's for students to check out. Videos or DVD's may be viewed in the library, or they may be taken out of the building. There is a charge of $1 per hour for overdue videos and DVD's.
Video playback services
All video requests should be scheduled through Media Services. Playback capability (3/4" videocassette decks, 1/2" VHS standard play decks, DVD and laserdisc players) is currently available in Upjohn Library Commons, the Dewing Building, the Light Fine Arts Building, Dow Science Center, Olds/Upton Hall, Mandelle Hall and Hicks Center.
Videotaping and Production
Various production services are available. These include the use of the TV Studio, the Edit Lab, camcorders, and requests to have classes/events videotaped.
Kalamazoo College Video Use Copyright Policy
As a private, independent, four year Liberal Arts institution that educates individuals to think critically, to act responsibly, and to “be light,” Kalamazoo College recognizes the importance of intellectual property to the creation and dissemination of knowledge. In acknowledgement of its ethical and legal obligations the College strives to comply with copyright laws and licensing agreements in the responsible use of information for teaching, learning and administration of the College. To that end the College has adopted a Video Use Copyright Policy that seeks a balance between the need to easily access and use information for scholarship and the right of the copyright owner to exercise reasonable control over its use.
Video Use in the Classroom
Possession of a film or video does not confer the right to show the work. The copyright owner specifies, at the time of purchase or rental, the circumstances in which a film or video may be "performed". For example, videocassettes from a video rental outlet usually bear a label that specifies "Home Use Only". However, whatever their labeling or licensing, use of these media is permitted in an educational institution so long as certain conditions are met.
Section 110 (1) of the Copyright Act of 1976 specifies that the following is permitted: Performance or display of a work by instructors or pupils in the course of face-to- face teaching activities of a nonprofit educational institution, in a classroom or similar place devoted to instruction, unless, in the case of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, the performance, or the display of individual images is given by means of a copy that was not lawfully made...and that the person responsible for the performance knew or had reason to believe was not lawfully made. Additional text of the Copyright Act and portions of the House Report (94-1476) combine to provide the following, more detailed list of conditions [from Virginia M. Helm, “What Educators Should Know About Copyright,” Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, 1986]:
1. They must be shown as part of the instructional program.
2. They must be shown by students, instructors, or guest lecturers.
3. They must be shown either in a classroom or other school location devoted to instruction such as a studio, workshop, library, gymnasium, or auditorium if it is used for instruction.
4. They must be shown either in a face-to-face setting or where students and teacher(s) are in the same building or general area.
5. They must be shown only to students and educators.
6. They must be shown using a legitimate (that is, not illegally reproduced) copy with the copyright notice included.
Further, the relationship between the film or video and the course must be explicit. Films or videos, even in a "face-to-face" classroom setting, may not be used for entertainment or recreation, whatever the work's intellectual content. Please note: compliance of Copyright Law relating to video use goes hand-in-hand with our college policy on academic honesty.
Video Use Outside the Classroom
Besides use in classrooms, videocassettes and DVDs that are owned by the College may ordinarily be viewed by students, faculty or staff at workstations or in small-group rooms in the Library. These videos may also be viewed at home (e.g., in a dorm room), as long as no more than a few friends are involved. Larger audiences, such as groups that might assemble in a residence hall living room, require explicit permission from the copyright owner for Public Performance Rights (PPR). The Library's online catalog bibliographic record includes the note "Public Performance Rights" for videos in our collection that were purchased with PPR or have passed into the public domain. In addition, faculty, staff, and students may show a video outside of the classroom and open the program to the entire Kalamazoo College community if they arrange for purchase of a Movie Copyright Compliance Site License, otherwise known as Public Performance Rights (PPR). In order to make these arrangements, please contact the Media Services Assistant, Jeannie Sanders, at kmedia@kzoo.edu or x7138. She will then contact movie companies to purchase the rights for the film. The faculty, staff member, or student organization will be responsible for the cost of the performance rights. Costs range from $200-600 depending on how recent the film is and no fees for viewing a video are permitted even when public performance rights are obtained. A minimum of 2 weeks notice is necessary to arrange for purchase of PPR.
Copying Videotapes andOff-Air Recording of Broadcasts, Including Satellite TV
Copying videotapes without the copyright owner's permission is illegal. An exception is made for libraries to replace a work that is lost or damaged if another copy cannot be obtained at a fair price [Section 108 of the Copyright Act of 1976]. Licenses may be obtained for copying and off-air recording. Absent a formal agreement, "Guidelines for Off-the-Air Recording of Broadcast Programming for Educational Purposes", an official part of the Copyright Act's legislative history, applies to most off-air recording [from Virginia M. Helm, supra]:
- Videotaped recordings may be kept for no more than 45 calendar days after the recording date, at which time the tapes must be erased.
- Videotaped recordings may be shown to students only within the first 10 school days of the 45-day retention period.
- Off-air recordings must be made only at the request of an individual instructor for instructional purposes, not by staff in anticipation of later requests.
- The recordings are to be shown to students no more than two times during the 10-day period, and the second time only for necessary instructional reinforcement.
- The taped recordings may be viewed after the 10-day period only by instructors for evaluation purposes, that is, to determine whether to include the broadcast program in the curriculum in the future.
- If several instructors request videotaping of the same program, duplicate copies are permitted to meet the need; all copies are subject to the same restrictions as the original recording.
- The off-air recordings may not be physically or electronically altered or combined with others to form anthologies, but they need not necessarily be used or shown in their entirety.
- All copies of off-air recordings must include the copyright notice on the broadcast program as recorded.
- These guidelines apply only to nonprofit educational institutions, which are further expected to establish appropriate control procedures to maintain the integrity of these guidelines.
Certain public broadcasting services (Public Broadcasting Service, Public Television Library, Great Plains National Instructional Television Library, and Agency for Instructional Television) impose similar restrictions but limit use to only the seven-day period following local broadcast [Virginia M. Helm, supra].
Network Distribution of Video
The College negotiates for closed-circuit distribution rights, if possible, when purchasing access to satellite broadcasts or obtaining works on videotape. Without explicit permission for closed-circuit distribution, network transmission of a video is not permissible unless "Classroom Use" structures are met.
Common Questions:
May I purchase or rent a film from the local video store and use it in my class?
Tapes from a video store are labeled "Home Use Only", indicating a licensing agreement with the copyright holder. Nevertheless, use of such tapes is considered "fair use" in a face-to-face teaching situation. Tapes marked "Home Use Only" may also be viewed in the Library small-group viewing rooms and carrels if they are used strictly for instructional purposes and not entertainment.
Is it permissible to make a copy of a rental video in order to use it again, later?
No. That would infringe on the rights licensed to the rental agency. (Absent reasonable return for service, rental agencies cannot survive.)
Can an auditorium or other large space be used to show a video labeled "Home Use Only" to a class?
Yes, so long as the performance is not open to the public and is for an instructional purpose within the structure of the course. Use for entertainment is prohibited.
If my department already owns a videotape, and it has been used in the classroom, can I have it shown on the campus video network?
Not unless explicit permission for closed-circuit distribution has been obtained.
Can a college-owned video be copied for Reserves?
Not unless permission for the copying has been obtained from the copyright owner.
May a club or other group show a video obtained from a local video store?
No. However, many film/video libraries and distributors offer the required "public performance rights" that are included in a higher rental fee.
What if a student rents a video from a video store and views it with a few friends in her dormitory livingroom?
Experts disagree! But since access to dormitories is limited to acquaintances of students, this would seem to be comparable to "home use".
I don't have time to preview this video right now, and it's due to be returned to the vendor. Can Audiovisual Services copy it for me?
No; preview videos may not be copied. But in an emergency Audiovisual Services can ask the vendor for an extended preview period.