Course Pack

 

Print Course Pack

• Background
• What is a course pack?
• What can be included in a course pack?
• The licence agreement: key guidelines
• What can we do for you?
• Price of a course pack
• Procedure for course pack production
• Forms and samples
• Enquiries

 

In 2005 the University signed a two-year licence agreement with the Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society Ltd. (HKRRLS) governing the production of course packs at the University. At the request of the University, Media Services (former AV Collection) of HKU Libraries accepted the responsibility of administering the licence agreement, including producing course packs for all faculties, departments, and centres, maintaining a database of all transactions, reporting information to HKRRLS on a quarterly basis and settling copyright payments to the Society.

 

A “course pack” means a compilation (whether bound or loose-leaf) of any photocopied extracts from one or more sources which is intended to provide students with a compilation of materials designed to support the teaching of a course. Producing course packs under the licence provisions ensures that:

• Students can save time when searching for, and photocopying, materials required for the course.
• Students can possess a copy of the course pack legally.
• Instructors can distribute photocopies of licensed materials to students without infringing copyright.
• Licence fees will be paid through HKRRLS to the original copyright holders or authors.

 

In Hong Kong the organization responsible for licensing copyrighted materials is the Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society (HKRRLS) which was established in 1995. It is the Hong Kong Branch of the International Federation for Reprographic Rights Licensing Organizations (IFRRO) and therefore can authorize reprographic reproduction of materials from most publishers and copyright owners worldwide through reciprocal arrangements with IFRRO. A course pack can contain a variety of materials, including:

	Type of Materials	Licence Fees
1.	Materials with copyright owned by instructors themselves	No fees need to be paid
2.	Materials from instructors to students including course details, grading criteria, assignments, reading list, URLs for accessing online articles, examination timetables, etc.	No fees need to be paid
3.	Materials licensed from HKRRLS	Fees need to be paid to HKRRLS
4.	Materials excluded from the HKRRLS licence agreement, as listed in schedule II and schedule IV	Fees need to be paid directly to the respective copyright owners

 

For (4), instructors should clear the copyright with the respective copyright owners direct themselves.

 

• With respect to a course pack, it shall not include copies of extracts from more than thirty (30) works.
• Each of the instructors and students may receive no more than one (1) set with respect to the course pack.
• With respect to each issue of newspaper, journal or periodical, no more than one (1) complete article of any length from that issue of newspaper, journal or periodical can be included in any one single course pack in any academic year.
• With respect to any other licensed materials other than newspapers, journals or periodicals, no more than ten percent (10%) or a chapter of that licensed material, whichever covers the smaller portion of the licensed material, can be included in any one single course pack in any academic year.
• The licence agreement does not authorize copying from all textbooks (books written in accordance with any syllabus issued by the Hong Kong Curriculum Development Council); some general categories of published materials, such as worksheets, exercises and instruction manuals; as well as some specific publishers and works themselves.

Click here for a complete list of restrictions and obligations of preparing course packs, extracted from the licence agreement.

 

1. Cross-check your “master” copy against the excluded list provided by the HKRRLS.
2. Assign a “Reference number” given by HKRRLS to the course pack.
3. Apply in writing to HKRRLS for consent to make copies of the licensed materials in excess of the limits listed above.
4. Print and staple bind the course pack upon request.
5. Maintain a database of all transactions; send quarterly report on every course pack and settle copyright payments to HKRRLS.

 

It includes the following components:

1. License fee payable to HKRRLS: starting at HK$0.95 per page of licensed materials;
2. Photocopying charges;
3. Processing fee.

Media Services will inform you the price of the course pack after receiving the “master” copy from you.

 

Instructors using the services provided by Media Services should:

1. Collect the materials you wish to include in the course pack. Remember to observe the guidelines listed above. Materials excluded from the licence agreement should not be included unless you have cleared the copyright with the respective copyright owners direct.
2. Prepare a good and clean photocopy of the master copy. Click here for the points to note when preparing your master copy for course pack production.
3. Fill out the Course Pack Request Form
4. Fill out the Bibliographical Information Form
5. Send the following to Media Services, 2/F, Library New Wing as soon as possible:
   
   1. Completed Course Pack Request Form - hardcopy required.
   2. Master copy of the course pack – hardcopy required
   3. Completed Bibliographical Information Form - softcopy and hardcopy required.
6. Please notify and encourage students to purchase the Course Pack at Lending Services Counter at the commencement of the course. Cash will be acceptable. If a course pack runs out of stock, orders accompanied by an advance payment will be accepted. Students should note that no refund or return of course packs will be entertained.

*The average turnaround time for course pack production is about three working days.

 

Note: Departments wishing to produce their own course packs may still do so but need to be responsible for observing a set of guidelines.

 

 

1. Course Pack Request Form
2. Bibliographical Information Form
3. Sample letter for clearing copyright of excluded materials

 

Contact your subject librarians