In general, anything published in the last 100 years enjoys copyright protection. No safe rule applies to all cases. However, making just one copy of a chapter from a book, an article from a magazine, a short story or poem, etc., for your own scholarly research, is probably permissible. Federal copyright law restricts the use of audio and video files to private showings and prohibits their public performance. If in doubt, check with the Library for further guidelines. Computer software is protected by copyright and license agreements.