Free software isn't about cost, and it isn't about hype, it isn't about taking business away from vendors. It's about four kinds of freedom--the freedom to use the software for any purpose, the freedom to study how the software works, the freedom to modify the software to adapt it to one's needs, and the freedom to copy and share copies of the…

The Information Group at Millipore has been successfully using a digital rights management tool to secure the email distribution of archived laboratory notebooks. Millipore is a life science leader providing cutting-edge technologies, tools, and services for bioscience research and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Consisting of four full-time…

Presents the text of a question-and-answer session that addressed the Copyright Clearance Center, library compliance with copyright law, copyrights and electronic information, fair use and the World Wide Web, copyrighted images and the Web, permission procedures, scanning historical images, distance education and scanned documents, future…

Discusses commercially available electronic books (e-books) and implications for librarians. Highlights include factors that influence its dissemination and use, including type of library, access methods, and the vendor; copyright; digital rights management; e-book hardware, including PDAs (personal digital assistances); comparing content vendors;…

Discusses options available to libraries for document delivery. Topics include users' needs; cost; copyright compliance; traditional interlibrary loan; types of suppliers; selection criteria, including customer service; new developments in interlibrary loan, including outsourcing arrangements; and the need to evaluate suppliers. (LRW)

Lists legal information on CD-ROM covering statute law; regulations; rules, procedures, practice guides; case law; digests and reporters; and forms. Discusses multimedia law materials, online searching, the Internet, access, copyright, and intellectual property issues. Provides addresses, phone numbers, and World Wide Web sites of organizations…

Presents a library automation vendor's perspective on networking based on activities at Ameritech Information Systems. Topics discussed include the information explosion; information technology; user expectations and needs; remote access; the library of the future; systems integration; ownership versus access; copyright laws; and the role of the…

Access to database information in libraries will increase as licenses for tape loading of data onto public access catalogs becomes more widespread. Institutions with adequate storage capacity will have full text databases, and the adoption of the Z39.50 standard, which allows differing computer systems to interface with each other, will increase…

Discusses issues related to the idea of a virtual library, or electronic library, in an academic setting. Topics discussed include access to academic libraries via personal computers; online catalogs; wide area networks, such as Internet, and their impact on library and computer center services; administrative issues; human and technological…

Presents steps for creating copyright policies: appoint an officer; arrange access to a lawyer; understand copyright principles; know how copyright applies to Internet and CD-ROMs; understand permissions procedures; collect reference materials; use Internet information; understand international law; stay updated; attend seminars; educate others;…

Remote access to full-text and CD-ROM databases using the Internet has advantages over a CD-ROM local area network. Topics include speed, document delivery, multiple platforms, technical support, licensing, copyright, and access to graphics. Considerations of duplication of information, platform compatibility, print versus digital media, back…