In the article “How Physical Design Can Influence Copyright Compliance” Meghan Harper offers advice to school librarians on setting up the library’s space to help with copyright compliance. I had never considered the space when I thought about copyright issues, so this article really stood out. Harper points out that if the copiers and printers are located in inconvenient locations where supplies are not easily accessible copying there is less likely to be infringement because it is not easy to do. If students have copying restrictions, or are charged for copies, there is less likely to be excessive copying for copyrighted materials. Harper recommends that copiers and printers be located near the librarian so that copyright guidance can be offered as needed.
The author also provides useful tips for the school librarian in monitoring copyright compliance without coming across as the copyright police. Some of the tips offered are posting links to copyright laws, be a role model for compliance, cite sources in your own handouts, and put copyright law tidbits in the monthly newsletter.
One piece of advice that I have come across in several sources is that the librarian should keep a log of compliance infringements that have been witnessed and what action was taken. This log helps identify problems that can be addressed in the newsletter or future workshops. It also provides evidence that the librarian tired to get compliance from the teacher.
Harper, Meghan. "How Physical Design Can Influence Copyright Compliance." Knowledge Quest 35.3 (2007): 30-32.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
An interesting theory. Placement could be a deterrent for students did he address the public library? What did he say about privacy? I would be interested to see how he keeps the rights of the patron for privacy in balance with the librarian being interested in what patrons are copying and why and how much.
ReplyDeleteThe article is specific to school libraries. I didn't feel that the author was taking privacy issues into account when she wrote this article! In the school library there doesn't seem to be much privacy. In one of the schools I observed at the librarian could see every students monitor on her computer. This was to make certain that the students were on task on using the equipment as intended by the school.
ReplyDeleteIn the public library where I worked there were privacy screens on every monitor and the printouts were located in a private area. No prying eyes there and no copyright police. We just posted copyright law and fair use policy and every computer. The other deterrent was charging for copies.
I think we bear more burden in enforcing copyright in schools--it's just another part of building information literacy in a way
ReplyDeleteThanks for this great resource. I like the idea of the newsletter tidbits and the modeling. I'll look for the article.
ReplyDeleteTeresa you have raised a very interesting point. Who should be responsible for enforcing the copyright laws within an academic organization? On the one hand, as a library media specialist, I find it flattering that some feel that the copy machine should be located near the library in an effort to deter infringements of the copyright laws; while on the other hand it might be another way of creating a way to place the ethical responsibility of others on the librarian. After my presentation in class today on metacognitive journaling, I thought about, “What would this situation be like if there were no copier machines?” Such a time did exist in the past. During that time copyright was not such a big dilemma. So perhaps, since the copier machines are contributing to this problem; possibly, if someone invented a “copy machine copyright-police program” for copiers, it would not matter where the copiers were located because they would be “self-policed”.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing!