Copyright for Libraries: ALA Resources and Advocacy
A resource to help librarians understand copyright issues.
Please note that ALA cannot give legal advice. If you need legal advice, you should contact an intellectual property attorney.
ALA Publications About Copyright
Complete Copyright by ISBN: 9780838935439Publication Date: 2004-07-01Librarians face a myriad of copyright dilemmas every day and as copyright law evolves and new interpretations emerge, libraries play a key role in representing the public in the copyright debate.
Complete Copyright for K-12 Librarians and Educators by ISBN: 9780838910832Publication Date: 2011-04-01School librarians and educators have specific copyright questions that are often glossed over in larger books on the subject. Now, thanks to best-selling copyright authority Carrie Russell, there’s a resource just for them, offering clear guidance for providing materials to students while carefully observing copyright law.
The Complete Copyright Liability Handbook for Librarians and Educators by ISBN: 9781555705329Publication Date: 2005-01-01Librarians and information professionals have ethical and legal responsibilities not only to their users, but also to the information they make available-including the copyrighted materials they license, loan, digitize, and deliver.
Copyright for Academic Librarians and Professionals by ISBN: 9780838912140Publication Date: 2014-05-01This practical handbook will show students training to become college and university librarians how to make informed decisions regarding the use and availability of print, non-print, and online resources. Beginning with a solid grounding in the underlying principles of copyright law, such as fair use, public domain, permissions, plagiarism, documentation and licenses, Creative Commons, Open Source (OS), and Open Access (OS), Butler moves onto specific applications of copyright law.
Copyright for Teachers and Librarians in the 21st Century by ISBN: 9781555707385Publication Date: 2011-05-01Here is a practical copyright handbook designed to help librarians, media specialists, technology coordinators and specialists, and teachers stay within copyright law while making copyrighted print, non-print, and Web sources available to students and others.
Copyright Law for Librarians and Educators by ISBN: 9780838910924Publication Date: 2011-01-01Basic copyright definitions and key exceptions for education and library services; find information quickly with key points sidebars, legislative citations, and cross-references; understand the four factors of fair use and related court interpretations; get up to speed on current interpretations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act from a librarian-educator viewpoint.
The Institutional Repository by ISBN: 9780838986615Publication Date: 2013-06-01Offers practical advice on creating, implementing, maintaining, and marketing an IR; open access policies; and copyright issues.
Intellectual Property by ISBN: 9780838909485Publication Date: 2007-08-01The new information landscape is raising more questions than ever about intellectual property. The advent of Google, YouTube, iPods and URLs has led to a plethora of court cases involving copyrights, trademarks, and patents.
The Librarian's Guide to Intellectual Property in the Digital Age by ISBN: 9780838908259Publication Date: 2002-01-01This reference to the thorny issues of copyright, trademarks and patents provides detailed explanations of the various types of intellectual property, how they differ, what they cover and how the protections affect library work and services to customers.
The Librarian's Legal Companion for Buying and Licensing Information Resources by ISBN: 9781555706104This volume provides guidance on information acquisition, including copyright and contract matters.
The Library’s Legal Answers for Meeting Rooms and Displays by ISBN: 9780838914403Publication Date: 2016When your public library invites the community to its spaces—a meeting room, an auditorium, bulletin board, or exhibit case—you take on the responsibility to uphold First Amendment rights of free expression.
Licensing Digital Content by ISBN: 9780838909928Publication Date: 2009-06-01The revised edition of this resource covers the basics of digital licensing for librarians in a plain-language approach that demystifies the process.
Smart Copyright Compliance for Schools by ISBN: 9781555706463Publication Date: 2009-03-01This guide has been written for school administrators, teachers, technology coordinators, school boards and library media specialists, in order to facilitate the introduction of copyright compliance programs.
Technology and Copyright Law by ISBN: 9781555705701Publication Date: 2006-04-01The authors discuss new developments in the world of copyright, including those in the areas of legislation and case law. Special chapters provide information on the law's enablement for those who work with the blind and physically handicapped, and the use of copyrighted materials in distance education.
- Copyright - WorldCat listA list of publications on copyright available from libraries across the country and around the world.
ALA Resources About Copyright
- ALA Copyright ToolsDeveloped by Michael Brewer and the Copyright Advisory Subcommittee of the ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office (then called the Office for Information Technology Policy, a part of PPA's predecessor the ALA Washington Office), the ALA Copyright Tools were created to educate librarians, educators and others about copyright.
- District Dispatch articles on copyrightThe ALA Washington Office blog articles covering all aspects of copyright as they relate to libraries.
- Copyright Issues, Legislation, and Policy Resources -OGRALA has actively advocated -- and continues to fight in Congress and the courts – to strike a balance in copyright law. This balance -- between incentivizing creativity with exclusive rights and affording all people the ability to access and use copyrighted works to create new works – is what the Framers contemplated when they included a clause in the Constitution defining the overarching purpose of copyright: “to promote progress in science and useful arts.” Today, as libraries transform for the 21st century, they seek to honor and implement the Framers’ vision by actively working for law and policy that will bring the full benefits of the digital age to all people everywhere.
- Libraries as creatures of copyright: Why librarians care about intellectual property law and policyAn article written by the former Executive Director of ALA's Washington Office on why librarians should keep up to date on copyright.
- Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA)The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) became effective in October 2000 . This landmark legislation updated U.S. copyright law to meet the demands of the Digital Age and to conform U.S. law to the requirements of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and treaties that the U.S. signed in 1996.
- Digital Rights Management (DRM) and libraries (archived page)Digital rights management (DRM) technology controls how digital information resources, including media, can be accessed, copied, distributed, reformatted, or otherwise changed. These software and hardware controls are usually embedded in the work or device, and can be protection schemes as basic as password protection.
- November/December issue of Knowledge Quest - blog postThe theme for the November/December 2016 issue of Knowledge Quest, “Copyright and School Libraries in the Digital Age,” centers on school librarians and what you may need to consider when faced with copyright questions, issues, and concerns. Welcome to the world of “it depends!”