Latest Copyright FlameFest

[Laura Quilter]

On Mon, 27 Jan 1997, Wilfred (Bill) Drew Jr. wrote:

> Discussions such as this are what keep this list honest and alive.  We
> need such discussions and I hope this one continues for a while.  There
> has been no real name calling.  There have been differences in opinion
> and misstatements by some about what the leagal obligations of libraries
> and librarians are.  Wether we like it or not we are copyright police. 
> We constantly monitor copyright and fairuse every time we limit faculty
> members to five copies of a magazine article on course reserve or every
> time we insist they put a textbook on reserve instead of copying a
> complete chapter.  

Actually, I would suggest we are not acting as copyright police for the
faculty members in the case of reserves, but policing ourselves. The
library holds the reserves and could therefore be held legally responsible
for copyright violation.  It's only reasonable, therefore, that the
library holds a policy of obeying the law at that point.  You may notice,
in contrast, that we do NOT post guards over copy machines.  In a helpful,
almost librarian-like manner, we alert patrons to information which may be
of use to them in deciding how much information to copy - that is, we post
little notices about copyright & fair use.  This allows the patrons to
decide.  This, I think, is a good solution: it allows those who would take
the responsibility make an informed decision.  (Well, semi-informed: in
addition to being practicably unenforceable, intellectual property law is
becoming rather too complex for anyone other than an attorney to
understand.  Which makes it, in my opinion, even more in need of
revision.)

Without the copyright law I would not be getting any
> income form my paper based writing nor would my publisher.  

This assertion is really problematic.

Take a look
> at the copright statement usually prominently posted over any copy
> machines in libraries in the United States.  Libraries and librarians
> are rsponsible for enforcement of copyright and fairuse in bothe the
> legal sense and moral/ethical sense. 

See my comments above.

> --
> Wilfred Drew (Call me "Bill") Systems Librarian (also reference)
> SUNY College of Ag. & Tech.;   P.O. Box 902;  Morrisville, NY 13408-0902
> E-mail: DREWWE at MORRISVILLE.EDU  Cooltalk:drewwe at 136.204.83.8
> powwow:drewwe at wedrew.lib.morrisville.edu
> Phone: (315)684-6055 or 684-6060 Fax: (315)684-6115 
> New Homepage: http://www.snymor.edu/~drewwe/
> Not Just Cows: http://www.morrisville.edu/~drewwe/njc/ 
> LibraryLinks: http://www.morrisville.edu/pages/library/
> SUNYLA'97: http://www.morrisville.edu/~drewwe/sunyla/sunyla97.htm
> --
> 

Laura M. Quilter   /   lauramd at uic.edu
Electronic Services Librarian
University of Illinois at Chicago
http://www.uic.edu/~lauramd/

"If I can't dance, I don't want to be 
in your revolution."  -- Emma Goldman