Course Packs and Copyright

Custom Academic Course Packs

Course packs are the custom educational materials that many faculty members publish to supplement or replace textbooks. They contain combinations of original manuscripts, published journal articles, book excerpts, photographs, or illustrations.

Convenient

We work with you and the bookstore to produce printed copies of your course packs for resale to students. 

Requesting a printed course pack can be done through our course pack request form at the following link:  

https://printmail.fo.uiowa.edu/form/course-pack-request-form

Economical

We provide a neatly bound or packaged document that compares favorably with the costs of the alternatives, and by keeping your business on campus, you are directing funds back into the University. 

Course Pack Binding options

GBC/plastic comb

Used for custom course packs, manuals, calendars. A series of slotted holes is punched into the binding edge, and a black plastic comb-strip is inserted. The strips come in various sizes up to a maximum thickness of approximately 350 sheets (700 pages) of 20-lb paper. Card stock covers for the front and back are recommended. The inside margin should be generous to allow for the holes. These publications lie flat when open.

Plastic coil

Used for custom course packs, manuals, calendars. A series of round holes is punched into the binding edge, and a plastic-covered wire coil is inserted. The inside margin should be generous to allow for the holes. These publications lie flat when open. A choice of colors is available.

Saddle stitch/booklet staple

Used for booklets, programs, and small catalogs. The document is stapled along the centerfold. When opened, saddle-stitched books lie flat for ease in reading and handling. The book on the right is saddle stitched.

Side or corner stitch/staple

Works well for publications that are too bulky for saddle stitching. Orders can be finished with a single staple in the upper left corner, two staples across the top, or side-stitched using two staples along the left edge. The staples are inserted about 1/4 inch from the binding edge, so the inside margin should be generous. Stapling is limited to a maximum of 100 sheets (200 pages) of 20-lb paper. Side-stitched pieces do not lie flat when open.

Tape bind

Black tape or thermal tape binding provides an economic and strong binding for 8.5x11-inch documents. The maximum thickness is limited to 120 sheets (240 pages) of 20-lb paper. Card-stock covers for the front and back and a maximum of three colors are recommended. Available at Printing Services.

Copyright Services

We work with Copyright Services companies to obtain permission to reproduce any copyrighted material you’ve used, saving you time and money and ensuring that proper copyright procedures. 

While requests are processed quickly, we do ask for you to submit your articles and bibliographic information as soon as possible as we are not in control of the publisher’s response time.

Please provide accurate bibliographic citations. Contact us to send you the forms you’ll need to complete, and feel free to call us if you have any questions.

Email: printing-cc2@uiowa.edu

Phone: 319-335-2699

One-time Use Only

Permission to reproduce material is granted for one-time use only. A new request must be submitted each time the material is used.

Additionally:

• Most publishers will not allow excessive portions (i.e. more than 10%) of books currently in print to be copied, even for educational purposes.
• All publishers and copyright holders expect their works to be accurately cited, usually on the first page of the article. We will add statements such as “Reprinted by permission” or any additional information specified by the copyright holder. The original citation should already be included with articles and excerpts when we receive them.
• Copyright permission is only granted for works copied as they originally appeared. You may retype articles to be copied, but please include the citation of the original articles so we can accurately and efficiently petition the copyright holders

Helpful Links

University of Iowa Libraries - Copyright Guide

U.S. Copyright Office