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About Off-air Videotaping

The Multimedia Center provides off-air videotaping of broadcast programs from the local cable system. Faculty wishing to utilize this service should provide necessary information to the Center at least five (5) days prior to the broadcast date. Requests are accepted in person, by phone, or by email. The resulting tape may be viewed or circulated to students during the 2 weeks immediately following the taping. Only faculty may view it after 2 weeks, and after 45 days, the tape must be erased. Video tapes are furnished by the Center. Requests for off-air taping can only be made by faculty or professional staff.  Check guidelines for more copyright information.

Please note that if repeated use of a video is anticipated, faculty may request that the Library purchase a copy or purchase the rights to retain an off-air tape.

More information on these services may be obtained by calling the Center at 458-5503 or email Multimedia Center.

Request Procedures

1. Provide the necessary information to the Multimedia Center at least five (5) days prior to broadcast date by phone, email, or in person.  Verify receipt by follow up phone call or if using Microsoft mail, set the "preferences" to "return receipt".
2. Tape may be viewed or circulated to students during the 2 weeks immediately following the taping.  After that only faculty may view it, and after forty-five (45) days the tape must be erased.
3. Video tapes are furnished by the Center.
4. Only faculty/professional staff may place requests.
   
   Note:  If repeated use of a video is anticipated, request that the Library purchase a copy for its collection.  There may also be an option to purchase the rights to retain an off-air tape.  Please notify the Multimedia Center staff if you want more information about the possible availability of this option.

Guidelines for Off-Air Recordings of Broadcast Programming for Educational Purposes

The following guidelines are part of the Congressional Record, 97th Congress, 1st Session, v.127-part 18, pages 24, 048-49.

1. These guidelines were developed to apply only to off-air recording by non-profit educational institutions.
2. A broadcast program may be recorded off-air simultaneously with broadcast transmission (including simultaneous cable retransmission) and retained by a non-profit educational institution for a period not to exceed the first forty-five (45) consecutive calendar days after date of recording.  Upon conclusion of such retention period all off-air recordings must be erased or destroyed immediately.  "Broadcast programs" are television programs transmitted by television stations for reception by the general public without charge.
3. Off-air recordings may be used once by individual teachers in the course of relevant teaching activities, and repeated once only when instructional reinforcement is necessary, in classrooms and similar placed devoted to instruction within a single building, cluster or campus, as well as in the homes of students receiving formalized home instruction, during the first ten (10) consecutive school days in the forty-five (45) day calendar day retention period.  "School days" are school session days--not counting weekends, holidays, vacations, examination periods, or other scheduled interruptions--within the forty-five (45) calendar day retention period.
4. Off-air recordings may be made only at the request of and used by individual teachers, and may not be regularly recorded in anticipation of requests.  No broadcast program may be recorded off-air more than once at the request of the same teacher, regardless the number of times the program may be broadcast
5. A limited number of copies may be reproduced from each off-air recording to meet the legitimate needs of teachers under these guidelines.  Each such additional copy shall be subject to all provisions governing the original recording.
6. After the first ten (10) consecutive school days, off-air recordings may be used up to the end of the forty-five (45) calendar day retention period only for teacher evaluation purposes, i.e., to determine whether or not to include the broadcast program in the teaching curriculum, and may not be used in the recording institution for student exhibition or any other non-evaluation purpose without standardization.
7. Off-air recordings need not be used in their entirety, but the recorded programs may not be altered from their original content.  Off-air recordings may not be physically or electronically combined or merged to constitute teaching anthologies or compilations.
8. All copies of off-air recordings must include the copyright notice on the broadcast program as recorded.