Introduction

"[T]his volume provides a wealth of information for all librarians dealing with copyright." Library Journal, Starred Review

Copyright situations in libraries can get complicated. How do librarians know how much they can copy? Is everything in libraries fair use? Can librarians let people show movies in the library? Do new services like 3D printing involve copyright? Should librarians always say ‘no’ when patrons want to copy something? Finding the answers can be time-consuming, but with copyright policies and workflows in place, those answers are at the fingertips of librarians.

Knowing how to create and implement copyright policies will make it much easier to address the copyright situations that come up in your library. Librarians and those who work in libraries can use this book to get good information and practical advice on both copyright basics and policies. The book is different from other books about copyright in libraries because it focuses on more than the rules of copyright. It goes further by guiding librarians and information professionals on how to incorporate the rules into policies, procedures, and workflows.

Benefits of the Book

With this book, librarians and information professionals will be able to craft a copyright policy that will enable them to answer complicated copyright questions quickly and easily. The book includes sample policies from all types of libraries: academic, public, government, and private. The book covers how to implement a policy and ways to assess its effectiveness.

What You Will Learn

Copyright basics and how to get permission

Your library’s context within a legal landscape

The best components of a policy

Practical copyright workflows

How to assess policy effectiveness