A successful policy is a "living" document that should be reviewed and updated periodically to reflect any changes in copyright law, the way in which copyright-protected materials are used in your institution, and other institutional policies. The policy may be an individual document, or it may be part of your institution's intellectual property policies or other related policies. Although it may initially be read cover-to-cover, the policy is more likely to be consulted on an as-needed basis, and an outline to guide users will help ensure its effectiveness.

Creating a copyright policy may seem like a daunting task. Where do you begin? Who should be involved in the process? What sort of information should be included in your policy? Do you need a lawyer to draft the policy? These are some of the questions you need to address in order to develop your copyright policy. This section will help guide you through this process.

The first part of this section explains the things you need to do and explore before developing your policy and putting it in writing. The second part of this section includes a checklist for developing your institution's policy, and the third part provides a sample policy for the use of text-based content in the classroom and the library. You may use and edit the sample policy to develop your own. Lastly, there is a list of tips to ensure a successful rollout of your copyright policy. Please note that this information is not intended as legal advice or to serve as a substitute for legal counsel.