Course Packs

1. Introduction
2. What is a Course Pack?
3. Guidelines for Preparing Course Packs
4. License Fee
5. Procedure for Course Pack Production
6. Services Provided by the Library
7. Contacts

A. Introduction

The University has signed license agreements with the Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society (HKRRLS) for producing printed and digital course packs with materials licensed through HKRRLS in support of any course of study provided by CityUHK. The Library acts as a liaison to assist the instructors in preparing course packs in compliance with the agreements.

B. What is a Course Pack?

According to the license agreements with HKRRLS:

Adoption of a course pack can combine different course-related materials into a printed volume or a scan copy as a single point of access to facilitate the delivery of affordable, copyright-cleared course content to students.

C. Guidelines for Preparing Course Packs

1. All course packs shall be used ONLY for:
   1. Instruction by CityUHK instructors in relation to any course of study provided by CityUHK; and
   2. Distribution in print or digital format to CityUHK students for instruction, teaching, learning, discussion and/or classroom use (inclusive of distance learning) in relation to any course of study provided by CityUHK.
2. ONLY one course pack shall be made in relation to the same course of study. Each CityUHK instructor and student may have no more than one (1) set with respect to the same course pack.
3. For digital course packs:
   1. They shall be made available ONLY on CityUHK Canvas or a network restricted to CityUHK students and staff by secure authentication and accessible to Course Users during the course of study.
   2. ONLY Course Users can download, print out and retain a scan copy and a paper copy for the duration of the course of study.
   3. Distributing paper copies to Course Users is prohibited.
   4. The digital course packs must be deleted from the online platform after the course of study.
4. For any one single course pack, the limits include:
   1. Copies of extracts from up to THIRTY (30) copyrighted works can be included for a course lasting SIX (6) months or less; and copies of extracts from up to SIXTY (60) copyrighted works can be included for a course lasting more than SIX (6) months but not exceeding TWELVE (12) months.
   2. With respect to a newspaper, journal or periodical issue, no more than ONE (1) complete article of any length from that issue can be included in any one academic year.
   3. With respect to any other copyrighted works other than newspapers, journals or periodicals, no more than TEN PERCENT (10%) or one CHAPTER of a copyrighted work, whichever covers the smaller portion of the work, can be included in any one academic year.

D. License Fee

1. License fee will not be incurred for materials with copyright owned by instructors themselves or materials from instructors to students such as course details, grading criteria, assignments, reading list.
2. Materials subject to license fees include:

   a.	Materials licensed from HKRRLS, as listed in Schedule II of the license agreements for: printed course packs digital course packs	Fees need to be paid to HKRRLS. Refer to D.3
   b.	Licensed materials excluded from the HKRRLS license agreement, as listed in Schedule II & IV of the license agreements for: printed course packs digital course packs	Instructors need to clear the copyright with the respective copyright owners directly. Refer to a sample letter for clearing copyright of excluded materials.

3. The license fee for the course packs made within the limits specified in C.4 will be paid through HKRRLS:

   Printed Course Pack	Digital Course Pack
   = No. of pages of copies made of the materials licensed from HKRRLS x HK$1.16 (in 2025-2026)	= No. of Course Users* x No. of pages of scans made of the materials licensed from HKRRLS x HK$1.16 (in 2025-2026)

   *Course Users include all students enrolled on the course and instructors providing teaching to the students irrespective of whether they make access to the course pack.

4. The rate will be much higher if the limits specified in C.4 are exceeded. The final rate will be subject to further negotiation with HKRRLS.

E. Procedure for Course Pack Production

1. Pre-Application for Copyright Clearance
   Before making a request for copyright clearance of materials licensed from HKRRLS, instructors are advised to check whether the e-version of the copyrighted works are available online via the Library. Instructors are encouraged to make use of library-subscribed e-resources as course materials and provide links to these resources from Canvas for students’ access instead of producing course packs.
2. Copyright Clearance for Materials Licensed from HKRRLS
   Fill out the Copyright Clearance Application Form and return it to the Library. Library staff will obtain a reference number from HKRRLS and ask for the incurred license fee for instructor’s consideration. HKRRLS will normally confirm the application result with fee about ten (10) business days after receiving the form.
3. Course Pack Fee Collection
   If the license fee for the course pack is acceptable, instructors or their delegates may add the printing cost, if any, of the course pack to come up with the total cost for the course pack. Contact Finance Office – Treasury Unit by sending email to [email protected] to obtain a bank account for students to pay the course pack fee before a deadline. Cash payment will not be entertained.
4. Requirements for Making Copies of Course Packs

   1. Paper Copies for Printed Course Pack	Scan Copies for Digital Course Pack
      Copies can only be made by CityUHK staff within CityUHK premises. Instructors or their delegates may contact CityUHK Press for paid printing services if deemed necessary.	Scan copies can only be made and placed by CityUHK staff on CityUHK Canvas or a network restricted to CityUHK students and staff by secure authentication for Course Users to access. Only the Course Users can download, print out and retain a scan copy and a paper copy for the duration of the course of study.

   2. A cover page for each course is required, with a notice setting out the date of making the copies, the names of the authors, the names of the publishers, the titles of the licensed materials and the publication year, together with the wordings specified by the HKRRLS as shown on the sample page for paper copies and sample page for scan copies.

5. Quarterly Report on Course Packs
   To comply with the HKRRLS’s requirement, instructors or their delegates should complete the Quarterly Report on Course Packs and return it to the Library according to the following time schedule. The quarterly report should be certified with departmental green chop or signed off by Budget Controller or his/her delegate. It will be used as supporting document for Finance Office to arrange payment to HKRRLS.

   For the Period	Deadline for Submission
   October to December	By the 5th of the following January
   January to March	By the 5th of the following April
   April to June	By the 5th of the following July
   July to September	By the 5th of the following October

F. Services Provided by the Library

1. Cross-check the materials requested for copyright clearance with HKRRLS against the excluded list (refer to D.2.b) provided by HKRRLS.
2. Assign a “reference number” given by HKRRLS to the course pack.
3. Liaise with HKRRLS for any special application from instructors.
4. Submit the Quarterly Report on Course Packs to HKRRLS for settlement of payment.

G. Contacts