Copyright for Academic Librarians and Professionals

In her new book, seasoned copyright expert Butler turns her attention to one of the complex arenas in the world of copyright and intellectual freedom: the unique environment of higher education. This 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. Based on Butler’s 17 years of experience conducting copyright workshops and courses, her book matches real-world scenarios with interpretations of the law from copyright experts in the field to provide a thorough understanding of current, everyday applications of copyright law in higher education.

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 on to specific applications of copyright law, including:

Internet resources such as blogs/vlogs, podcasts, wikis, social networking tools, and more
DVDs, television, and streaming and on-demand video
Computer and gaming software, handheld applications, and mobile technologies
CDs, music, and audio
Multimedia and print works

Butler explains fair use, public domain, documentation and licenses, permissions, creation and ownership, violations and penalties, international copyright law, and avoiding copyright problems as they relate to each of these formats. A separate chapter covers the use of each format in distance learning, as well as how the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and the Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization (TEACH) Act relate to and affect the many aspects of distance education.

A clear and comprehensive textbook for copyright courses, this book features figures and decision flowcharts throughout that make the concepts presented easy to follow and understand. Appendices feature pertinent sections of U.S. copyright law and a helpful glossary of terms.