Important Considerations about E-books
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Major textbook publishers such as Cengage, McGraw-Hill, Pearson, etc. do not sell e-textbooks to libraries.
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Not all traditionally published print books (e.g.novels, nonfiction, etc.) are available in electronic format (electronic rights).
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When books do include electronic rights, the publisher sets those rights.
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Publishers control the level of access for e-books, including the number of concurrent users and the number of pages that can be downloaded.
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To increase student access to learning materials, consider making your course "zero textbook cost" by using open educational resources (OERs). For more information see OER's at KCC.
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For fair use and copyright advice, go to CUNY's Fair Use & COVID-19 guide.
Options for Streaming Films and Multimedia Content
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Neither Kingsborough nor CUNY Central libraries subscribe to Kanopy.
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As an alternative, check YouTube or Vimeo for film clips. However, be aware that these clips may be removed at any time.
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New York, Brooklyn, and Queens Public Libraries stopped providing access to Kanopy on July 1, 2019, because the cost of the subscription made it unsustainable.
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Most CUNY Libraries dropped their Kanopy subscriptions due to steep cost and unstable pricing plans.
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Consumer streaming services such as Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Netflix do not offer licenses to libraries.
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If you want to assign a film available through one of these services, each student will need to subscribe to the service to view the film.
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One exception is Netflix, which on its YouTube channel provides free, educational access to a small number of documentaries.
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Streaming unlicensed clips from DVDs is permitted as fair use, but limited only to the sections necessary for instruction. Digital media, however, may be shared using the YuJa module in Blackboard. For assistance, please contact ITS help desk.
