"personal use" in terms of use for online periodicals Fearer, Kathleen E (EED) 29 Oct 2008 19:11 UTC

Hello everyone.

Publishers' terms of use state that content can only be downloaded or
copied for "personal use."  I'm thinking primarily about online content
that comes with a print subscription, and that can be accessed with a
user name and password issued upon registration. I'm not thinking about
negotiated license agreements, were we would have an opportunity to
request modification of license terms.

I would be grateful for peoples' opinions on several related questions:

*	In the case of a library's subscription, when library staff is
accessing the content, what does downloading for "your personal use"
mean?
*	Would the meaning change if the terms of use also prohibit
distribution of the download?  In this case, would personal use be only
that of the library staff member accessing the content?
*	Would the meaning change if the publisher does not offer an
institutional subscription option?
*	Would the meaning change if the terms of use also incorporate
lots of language about copyright law, such as a statement that the
content is protected by copyright law and that users shall abide by
copyright law in their use?  I'm probably grasping at straws here.

Thanks for your help!

Katie Fearer
Librarian, Periodicals
Alaska State Library
907-465-2988
kathleen.fearer@alaska.gov