The second article in a four-part continuing education course on legal issues affecting libraries and librarians addresses the issues of liability insurance, malpractice, and copyright laws pertaining to print materials and computer software. (12 references) (CLB)

Provides an overview of the legal nature of copyright, its history, and present status. Current issues of concern to information professionals are then discussed, including reproduction and distribution of copyrighted material, interlibrary loans, the "Five-Year Review" of the current law, technology, nonprint materials, and databases.…

Some school systems are recognizing their responsibility to check software piracy, and a few publishers are responding to schools' needs and offering discounts on multiple copies of software to schools with policies protecting software copyright. Includes a model policy example. (MD)

The product of a detailed study of university copyright policies in Association of Research (ARL) Libraries, this System and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) flyer/kit approaches copyright use and ownership policies from the viewpoint of university administrations as well as libraries. A brief introduction discusses policies on use and ownership…

Chaska High School (Minnesota) established a firm district policy to prevent unauthorized, illegal duplication of computer software by teachers and students. The policy's success depends on an ethics re-education program for users, increased funding for software, and a preview library for teachers. (MLH)

Guidelines for the fair use of videotapes and computer software in library and classroom situations under the Copyright Revision Act of 1976 cover the areas of reproduction, adaptation, distribution, public performance, and display. Several hypothetical situations are presented to explain the legal responsibility of the library. (CLB)