General Guidance

Users are expected to comply with all applicable policies and regulations when accessing the University of South Carolina Libraries' subscription-based electronic resources. These may include the terms of subscription licenses, copyright law, and the University’s Responsible Use of Data, Technology, and User Credentials policy.

Most subscription resources, including journals, books, videos, and audio materials, are licensed exclusively for non-commercial, scholarly, and educational use.

 

Acceptable Use

For USC-affiliated users, the following activities are generally permitted. Users should provide appropriate credit or attribution when applicable.

Academic and Personal Use

• Coursework and class assignments
• Scholarly or professional research
• Teaching preparation and instruction
• Academic exploration or personal learning
• Quoting scholarly research

Saving, Downloading, and Printing

• Save, download, or print content for your own personal use
• Retain materials as needed to complete university coursework, research, or teaching activities

Sharing Your Work

• Share your own summaries, analyses, or interpretations of materials from subscription resources
• Collaborate with colleagues, research partners, or external organizations using your original work

Sharing References

• Share citations, Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs), and links to subscription materials

 

Unacceptable Use

For USC-affiliated users, the following activities are generally not allowed without express permission from the content provider. These restrictions help ensure responsible and lawful use of the University of South Carolina Libraries' subscription resources.

No Commercial or Business Use

• Not for profit: University resources cannot be used for any business or commercial activity
• Business research: You may use resources to research potential business ideas, but once the business is established, that use becomes commercial and is not allowed
• Personal businesses: If you operate your own business, you cannot use University resources for it

No Uploading, Sharing, or Automated Access

• External sites and AI use: Do not upload subscription materials to outside websites or AI systems unless specifically permitted
• No public sharing: Do not post subscription content on public or shared platforms
• No bots or mass downloads: Do not use bots, scrapers, or other automated tools to download or collect materials unless the license allows it
• Data mining exceptions: Some providers allow limited text or data mining. See the USC Libraries Licensed Content for Text Analysis guide for details.

Limited Sharing of Content

• You may share brief quotes or summaries with others for class or research
• You can share DOIs, citations, or direct links to materials
• Do not share entire articles, videos, or large portions of materials outside the University

Guidelines for Onsite Use for Visitors (Non-USC Users)

• Personal use only: Visitors may use library subscription resources only for personal, non-commercial purposes
• No outside research: Visitors may not use resources for outside companies, organizations, or clients
• No business use: Using University resources for market analysis or competitive business research is not allowed