Q. Can an article acquired through Interlibrary Loan be scanned and posted on a course Canvas site?

Resource Sharing services should be used to request items that we do not have access to in our own collection. Materials acquired via Resource Sharing services are intended for research and personal use only and are therefore ineligible for placement in Canvas for electronic access or in Course Reserves collections. 

In some cases, however, scanning and posting an article obtained through FSU Libraries’ Interlibrary Loan service may fall under Fair Use. If the article will be used for a current class only and is available in a professional journal that is out of print or otherwise difficult to obtain, then this helps support the case for Fair Use. On the other hand, if reprints are easily available for purchase, posting an interlibrary loan article to Canvas could be problematic. Instructors are strongly encouraged to use FSU Libraries’ Course Reserves service to make supplementary readings available on Canvas, as this allows the Libraries to take responsibility for ensuring copyright compliance. 

To learn more about Course Reserves, follow this link: Course Reserves.

Last Reviewed: 4/22/2025