The basis of our copyright policy is explained in the previously mentioned Copyright LibGuide. Refer to this guide to see explanations for copyright, Creative Commons, and how open access assists in fulfilling Lewis University's Lasallian mission.
However, this page will delve into a few specific things about the policy that are not covered in the other LibGuide.
The first section of the policy lays out seven statements that submitters must verify before they submit their content to the Institutional Repository. These statements are important to verify because they ensure that the work you are uploading into the Institutional Repository is not infringing on any copyrights, and thus, protecting yourself from any legal ramifications. Essentially, these statements are ensuring that you are the legal copyright holder of the work and have the permission to deposit the work; they also ensure that you are agreeing and grant the Institutional Repository the permission to deposit and host the material. These latter statements make sure that there is no confusion as to why your work remains publicly accessible and available in the Institutional Repository.
As the non-exclusive license section takes up a lot of space within the policy, it is important that we are transparent about what exactly this section is describing. This section expands upon the statements from the previous and is the submitter granting the Institutional Repository the permission to utilize the work in any way that ensures open access, preservation, and sharing. The Institutional Repository does not have to ask further permission to maintain the work on the repository or to take measures to preserve the work (e.g. transferring file formats or creating a new submission for the work).
In addition, since we ask that submitters clarify the copyright status of works they submit, the statement ensures that the submitter is responsible for any violations of copyright, and the Institutional Repository, its staff, and the institution are not liable for any copyright violations.
Finally, we also ensure that submitters know that the Institutional Repository will respect any copyright or licensing rights that the submitter holds or decides through their Creative Commons license choice. Creators still retain their copyright over any work in the repository, unless they decide to dedicate it to the public domain. The Institutional Repository cannot and will not utilize the works in any way that violates the creator's copyrights or that goes against the agreement. Your name will also always be attached to the work, so you always receive proper credit.