Map Collection and Cartographic Information Services Unit

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How to Copy Maps

Copyright Information
Self-Service Copy Options
Non-Circulating Copy Options

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Copyright Information

You must abide by "fair use" guidelines as outlined in U.S. copyright law, Section 107:

"...the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include -

1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
2. the nature of the copyrighted work;
3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

"The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors."

Most materials in the Map Collection are copyrighted. However, United States Federal Government materials (such as materials from the USGS, CIA, NIMA, and NOAA, among others) are in the public domain, so no copyright fees or permissions are required.

Please note that some copy service providers may require proof of permission from the copyright holder. The Map Collection cannot give this permission. You must contact the copyright holder directly.

Self-Service Copy Options

If you would like to make a copy of a UW Map Collection item (even if it does not circulate), the Map Collection has the following equipment available for your use:

• A color photocopy machine, which accepts Husky cards(UW student/staff id/debit card) and Dawg Print cards(for off-campus users). It has the following paper sizes:
• 8½" x 11" (letter)
• 11" x 17"
• A 9" x 14" flatbed scanner. You must provide your own storage media (e.g. Zip disk or CD-ROM).
• A light table with tracing paper. You must provide your own paper.

You may also take photographs of any item with your own camera.

Printing:
You may make a few 8½"x11" or 11 x 17 color prints in the computer room, but we do not have a large-format printer available. If you need to make bigger printouts, you can either make a screenshot of what you want to print and take it to an off-campus print shop (such as Kinko's), or you can email gis@lib.washington.edu for assistance in printing to the Locke Computer Center in Health Sciences (this costs $0.50-1.00 per inch for large-format plots).

Non-Circulating Copy Options

For a fee, Map Collection staff can order you reproductions of materials that cannot be checked out. The fee varies depending on the material and copy method chosen. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide these services for maps that do circulate.

Here is a list of format choices for the output (the copy).

• Large format paper: Black and white copies
• Regular-sized paper (8½"x11" or 11"x17"): Color copies—Large format paper is not available for color copies, so you must use regular paper and piece the copies together.
• Transparencies (8½"x11"): Black and white or color
• Photo negatives or prints: Black and white
• Photo negatives: Color (prints not available)
• Large format digital: Black and white or color
• File transfer to a CD-ROM

Please call Map Collection staff at (206) 543-9392 or email us at maplib@u.washington.edu to help you decide which format is best for you.

The Gory Details (staff use)

Questions? Comments? Please email us at maplib@u.washington.edu