Course packs

Course pack guidelines

A course pack is an anthology of material compiled from different sources to support the teaching of a specific course or module. Course packs are usually in paper format; it is possible though often expensive to arrange electronic versions of course packs.

Course packs are especially useful for:

• large cohorts of students required to read lots of readily identifiable chapters and articles
• distance and part-time learners who cannot easily access a Library or take advantage of the Course Collection

Copyright issues and course packs

Extra copyright fees are not chargeable for compiling a course pack provided they do not breach fair dealing guidelines. If the copying exceeds the fair dealing guidelines then permission must be sought and granted from the copyright owner. For more information see our information on Copyright.

We do not currently offer a course pack production service, but we can offer the following help:

• advising you what materials are readily available online to students (and which do not, therefore, need to be photocopied) - this could include identifying alternative sources
• advising on copyright matters (not all materials can be copied without paying an extra fee)
• arranging copyright-cleared Inter-Library loans for materials not covered by our current licence
• housing copies of course-packs (which should comply with copyright regulations)

The Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) has published a Good Practice Guide in the Creation of Course Packs [PDF] on their website. This document provides examples of good and bad practice, and contains useful guidance notes for creating course packs.

Contact your subject liaison librarian for further information.

Back to Information for staff