The Montana State University Library subscribes to thousands of electronic journals, books, databases, and other resources for use by authorized users, including current faculty, students, and staff, and in most cases, on-site library visitors. The terms and conditions for using these resources are set out in electronic resource license agreements with each provider.

Users are responsible for ensuring their use of these resources complies with the terms and conditions specified in these agreements. Violations of these agreements may result in the suspension of access to electronic resources for the entire MSU community.

While the terms may vary by provider, the general guidelines for appropriate use are outlined below.

Generally Allowed

  • uses consistent with the Fair Use provisions of the United States Copyright Act
  • viewing, downloading, copying, printing and saving a copy of search results
  • viewing, downloading, copying, printing and saving individual articles
  • using eResources for scholarly, educational or scientific research, teaching, private study and clinical purposes
  • sending a copy of an article to another authorized user (i.e. current faculty, students or staff)
  • posting the URL to the publisher’s version of the article on a restricted class website (publisher links will allow only authorized users access)
  • modifying the resource format in compliance with accessibility laws

Generally Not Allowed

The following activities generally are not permitted and engaging in any of the activities included may result in an immediate suspension of the patron’s access to online library resources.

  • use of robots or intelligent agents to do systematic, bulk or automatic downloading is not permitted
  • systematic downloading or printing of entire journal issues or volumes, or large portions of other eResources is not allowed
  • using eResources for commercial gain is not permitted (i.e. reselling, redistributing or republishing licensed content)
  • transmitting, disseminating or otherwise making online content available to unauthorized users (i.e. sending to mailing lists or electronic bulletin boards) is not permitted
  • posting the publisher's version or PDF of an article to an open class website is not permitted (instead, post the URL to the article which will allow only authorized users access)
  • removing, obscuring, or modifying any copyright or other notices included in the materials
  • sharing passwords/log-in information with unauthorized users

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Licensed Library Resources

The MSU Library is committed to securing AI usage and training rights for our eResource licenses. However, the scope of these rights may vary, and some licenses may restrict the use or training of their content with public AI tools. Before using any licensed library resource with AI, please contact us for information on the specific terms and conditions that apply.