Copyright for librarians: the essential handbook.

Copyright for librarians: the essential handbook. Utrecht The Netherlands: eIFL, 2012. PDF file.

Download link:

http://www.eifl.net/system/files/201301/cfl_book_download.pdf

It is always a good idea to kick-start your research work by reviewing any special vocabulary associated with your topic. You should define these key terms close to the beginning of your research paper to help acquaint the reader with the subject. Since my research revolves around libraries of the future, I wanted to review some of the key issues about copyright that librarians face.

I found a great deal of material about copyright issues but wanted to narrow my search by finding a reputable source with clear concise information. I selected Copyright for librarians: the essential handbook because it serves that purpose. As a joint project between the Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL) and the Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, this handbook combines the global EIFL input with legal input from a highly recognized law school.

Created as curriculum about copyright law, this handbook is organized by lesson and filled with case studies and many thought-provoking questions, such as one that asks if copyright laws place too many restrictions on librarians (63). The lesson on physical and digital commons compares the benefits and problems of each. This ties directly to my research topic.

While many of the terms discussed were commonly associated with copyright, I was not familiar with the term “right of access” which means “the right of the public to have access to a published copyrighted work” (174).  Most individuals believe that the copyright process establishes all rights to the creator although the process also establishes our rights as the public to gain access to the work.