FAQ - My professor assigned a book for class and placed it on
reserve in the library. Can I photocopy the book so I don’t have to buy
it or keep coming back to the library to read it?
Copying a limited selection of pages or a chapter from a book or an
article from a journal for your personal educational use is generally
considered Fair Use. You should also limit yourself to making one copy of whatever you need and not multiple copies to share with your classmates.
Photocopying an entire copyrighted book to read for class is a violation of copyright law.
If you need to read the entire book, it would be better to purchase
it or see if the library has a circulating copy that you can check out.