FAQs Browse

Are there specific ways instructors are allowed to use copyright protected material for teaching?

Instructors are permitted by the Copyright Act to make use of copyright protected materials in ways that other users are not for the purpose of providing education and instruction on the premises of an educational institution. These exceptions, along with fair dealing, are described in the Copyright and Teaching Infographic.

Using materials in the classroom

Instructors are permitted to reproduce a work in order to display it for the purposes of education. This would include, for example, scanning an image in a textbook for inclusion in a PowerPoint presentation.  

Instructors can play sound recordings or show a film to students on the premises of an educational institution, as long as the work is not an infringing copy. 

They may also play radio or television programs live when they are being broadcast. It has been interpreted that this, arguably, includes webcasts. 

In the classroom, instructors are permitted to reproduce and communicate works available on the Internet (provided that the works are not protected by technological protection measures, there is no notice specifically prohibiting the intended activity, and the work has been made available by the copyright owner or with their authorization). The source and, if possible, the creator's name must be cited.

Instructors may copy news and news commentary from radio and television broadcasts for educational or personal use. 

Distance Education

Lessons containing copyright protected works beyond the fair dealing limits, including tests and exams, may be recorded or copied and communicated (e.g., in Canvas) to students enrolled in the course, provided that the recording or copy is destroyed within 30 days after the end of the course and the institution takes measures to limit the audience to only students registered in the course. 

Examinations

There is a specific exception that permits copyright protected material to be reproduced, translated, performed or broadcast on university premises for testing and examination purposes.

Performances

Works such as plays or music can be performed live by students without permission if the performance takes place on the premises of the school and the audience is primarily students of the school or instructors.

As a student of Simon Fraser University, what can I legally copy?

Under copyright law, fair dealing allows you to make a copy of part of a work for the purposes of education, private study, research, parody, satire, review, criticism or news reporting. Please see the Copyright and Teaching infographic for guidelines as to how much of a work you can copy for purposes of your course assignments at SFU under fair dealing and other exceptions in the Copyright Act. You may also find the Copyright Decision Tree helpful for determining whether you can copy material in a certain situation, and what limits or restrictions may be involved.

Also, you may copy materials for which the university (e.g. the Library) has negotiated licenses according to the terms of the agreement. Details about the licenses for electronic resources such as ebooks and ejournals are available through an item's description in the Library catalogue.

As a student, are works I create (such as assignments and research) protected by copyright?

Yes. The Copyright Act specifies that “every original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic work” is protected by copyright, and this includes student work as well as your thesis. This means that your permission is required in order for an instructor to keep a copy to share it with future students.

Additionally, SFU's Intellectual Property Policy specifies that "IP created exclusively by a student Creator in the course of completing the requirements for an academic degree or certificate is owned by the student Creator." Remember that if you are collaborating with a faculty member, or anyone else, you should discuss the intellectual property rights and any necessary agreements before beginning the project.

Bloomberg FAQs

How do I log into Bloomberg?

Location of the Bloomberg terminal (standalone computer) and reserving or booking time

Bloomberg is available at standalone computer #1 on the third (main) floor of the W.A.C. Bennett Library (Burnaby campus). 

Book or reserve up to 2 hours/day on this computer (SFU students, staff, and faculty only).  Late arrivals forfeit their reservation after 10 minutes. To ensure equitable use of this shared resource, please only reserve time if you are sure you will use it, and please try to make efficient use of your time so that others are also able to complete their research.

Logging in

On the Bloomberg terminal, open Bloomberg either via the Start Menu or by double clicking its icon on the desktop.  Then press Enter to get to the main login screen.

Note that your SFU ID will not work to log into Bloomberg. You need to either use the general Bloomberg username and password or set up your own personal Bloomberg username/ID.

Using the general username and password

Current SFU faculty, staff, and students may use the general username and password.

Using this general ID will not allow you to register with Bloomberg for the Bloomberg Markets Certification (BMC) program. You will, however, have full access to all the other Bloomberg content and services. If you want to work toward a BMC certificate, you will need to create your own Bloomberg ID/username.

Registering for your own Bloomberg username and password

You may also register to get your own username and password with Bloomberg by selecting "Create a New Login" on the Bloomberg login screen.

Note, however, that choosing to create your own ID is absolutely voluntary. You will be able to complete all SFU coursework using the general username and password mentioned above. If you choose to create your own Bloomberg ID, first read the following Protection of Privacy notice as well as the tips on the procedure for registering with Bloomberg.

Protection of privacy notice

The Library makes the Bloomberg service available to you for your convenience. Your use of personal login IDs for the Bloomberg service at SFU is voluntary.  Please be advised that the personal contact information you disclose to establish a Bloomberg account is stored on servers located in the United States of America. When you use this service, no personal information about you is collected by or for SFU. Canadian privacy laws do not apply to personal information you provide directly to Bloomberg.

Your creation and use of a personal log-in ID for Bloomberg is an implicit acknowledgement that you have read, and agree with, this notice.

Procedure for registering your own Bloomberg username and password

From the main login screen,  click on "Create a New Login" to create your own account. Follow the instructions to fill out the registration form.

  • Note that the Bloomberg registration form is designed for corporate and government offices. Many of the questions they ask don't fit our "academic" use of the database. " If the field is required on the form but doesn't fit your description, just choose any of the options they offer.
  • You must provide an SFU email address. Bloomberg may use this address when they are authenticating your account while troubleshooting account issues, to inform you of changes to your account, or to inform you of upcoming training opportunities.
  • You must also have a mobile phone and provide the number as part of the registration process. Bloomberg will normally call or text you within a few minutes to give you an activation code. You must be still at the Bloomberg terminal when they call/text you. According to Bloomberg, they do not use the phone number you provide them after that initial call. If you don't receive their confirmation call/text within a few minutes, try selecting the option to be contacting by email instead.
     
  • Bloomberg may ask for your month of birth during the registration process. This is for their "Bloomberg biographies." You can choose to not disclose that information.

How can I install the Excel add-in for Bloomberg?

The Excel add-in for Bloomberg is a dedicated Excel tab with access to Bloomberg templates and formula-building functionality. The add-in allows you to smoothly retrieve data with less of a chance of reaching data download limits that can block access to the terminal for all SFU researchers.

Activating the Bloomberg Excel add-in involves a few brief steps: 

  1. Launch Excel
  2. Exit Excel
  3. Click on the "Install Bloomberg Office Add-Ins" icon on the desktop to install the add-ins for Microsoft Office programs. The installation process should only take a few seconds. (You may need to do this a couple times before you get a message saying all relevant add-ins have been installed.) 
  4. Re-launch Excel. If a Bloomberg tab doesn't appear in Excel at that point, close Excel and try the installation process again. 

Once the add-in appears correctly, it should appear each time you use Bloomberg. It may, however, disappear if that computer is updated, in which case running through the steps above should bring it back.

Can I obtain Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) certification at SFU?

Bloomberg Market Concepts is an e-Learning opportunity that will help you learn about financial markets, familiarize yourself with many core functions of a Bloomberg terminal, and earn a certificate of completion that you can list in our CV and your LinkedIn profile. All current SFU students, instructors, and staff are able to complete the BMC program for free.

See the Course Overview brochure for more details on BMC certification. Bloomberg also offers an ESG certificate that current SFU people can complete on our terminal. The tips below on BMC access, etc. apply equally to ESG certification.

General BMC tips

  • All SFU students have access to the BMC program at no cost if they take it on our Bloomberg terminal. In comparison, Bloomberg charges a fee for the online option via their Bloomberg for Education portal. 
  • Your choice to complete the BMC on our Bloomberg terminal in the WAC Bennett Library (free) or online (fee-based), is an either/or situation — you can't start in one mode and finish in the other. 
  • Completing the BMC generally requires several hours, but there is no requirement that you do it all in a single session.

BMC on a Bloomberg terminal - tips

  • Register with Bloomberg for your own Bloomberg ID rather than using the general ID option to ensure that any certifications you earn are linked to your name.
  • Once you are logged into the terminal, enter BCER (for "Bloomberg Certificates") to learn more about the certification program.
  • You'll need some headphones when watching the videos so you don't disturb others in the library.  If you don't have headphones or forget yours, you can borrow a pair from the front counter in the library.

  Unfortunately, SFU is no longer able to provide free remote access to the BMC certification program. You need to use a physical Bloomberg terminal to complete the certification for free. 

What are the alternatives to Bloomberg?

Much of the same information and functionality can also be found in our Refinitiv Eikon + Datastream database and our S&P Capital IQ database.

Ask for help if those resources don't have what you need.

Where can I get help with Bloomberg?

Download limits and #NA Review / #NA Limit errors

Bloomberg limits the amount of data that can be downloaded to Excel. If that limit is exceeded in a calendar month on a single terminal, Bloomberg will block further downloading on that terminal for the remainder of the month. In such cases, you'll usually see an error message such as #NA Review or #NA Limit in Excel when you try to download data.  Bloomberg does not provide a warning or an estimate of how close a terminal is to the limit: the downloading function simply stops working.

If your research requires substantial or regular downloading, consider using alternative resources such as Refinitiv Eikon or S&P Capital IQ so that you don't cause the loss of the download function for all researchers who use the same terminal.

Documentation from Bloomberg

Bloomberg provides detailed documentation on the content and functionality of the database, including videos, sample spreadsheets, and recorded training sessions. When you are logged into Bloomberg, enter <BU> to get to the main help page.

Some examples of the help documents available within Bloomberg:

Contact a Bloomberg representative

If you want to contact Bloomberg representatives directly, press the Help key twice.

Back to the Bloomberg description page.

Can Fraser Valley Real Estate Board member realtors get library cards?

In recognition of their donation to SFU, Fraser Valley Real Estate Board member realtors may receive Library External Borrower cards at a 50% discounted rate, currently $50 for an annual card and $20 for a semester card.

To obtain a card come to any of the three SFU Libraries and bring:

  • Fraser Valley Real Estate Board membership ID card
  • Picture ID (e.g. driver's license, BC ID)
Can I access online material using the code supplied in a textbook owned by the library?

Some textbooks include codes in order to access additional online material. When the library purchases a book with such a code, the information is removed and discarded as it is only valid for one user.

Can I book films for classroom viewing?

Yes.

For more information, and to make a booking request, see: Booking films for classroom viewing.

Can I borrow a phone charger at the library?

Cell phone chargers are available for 4 hour loan at the check-out counter of the Bennett Library (SFU Burnaby), Fraser Library (SFU Surrey), and Belzberg Library (SFU Vancouver). These chargers will work with over 200 different types of phones.

Can I bring a movie from home or from the Library and show it in class?

Yes, as long as it is a legal, commercial copy played for the purpose of education, the audience is primarily students, and no profit is gained. There is no longer the need to ensure a public performance license is in place.

Can I eat in the Library?

Yes, at the Bennett Library, you can eat food such as sandwiches, chocolate bars, or fruit in the group study rooms and large study room on Floor 2. You can have drinks anywhere in the Library provided they are in spill-proof containers.

Snacks and drinks (in covered containers) are permitted in the Surrey and the Belzberg Libraries. Food is not allowed near the computers.

   These guidelines can change! 

Be sure to check the SFU Library Food and Drink Policy for updates and exceptions -- and for more information.