Under the Copyright Act of 1976, "fair use" exemption places a limit on the exclusive rights of copyright owners to promote free speech, learning, scholarly research and open discussion. The Consortium of College and University Media Centers (CCUMC) convened a diverse group of interested parties to draft guidelines which would provide…

In this article, the authors argue for a leap from a "weak" digital literacy (skills of interpretation and strategies of reception) to strong digital literacy (authorship and autonomous skills and capacities). Strong digital literacy implies politico-structural analysis of the information societies to come. Given the current forms of economic…

The access and reproduction policies of the digital collections of 10 leading university digital libraries worldwide are classified according to factors such as the creation type of the material, acquisition method, copyright ownership etc. The relationship of these factors is analysed, showing how acquisition methods and copyright ownership…

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…

Discusses the Copyright Act, four factors that courts must consider in determining permission by the "fair use" doctrine, and the educational exemption for using copyrighted software. Suggests that the best strategy in determining fair use is to contact the publisher, as well as requesting guidelines from the United States Copyright Office. (AEF)

Discusses the librarian's role in bringing about an equilibrium between private and public information interests that serves both information owners and the public, and comments on copyright law, libraries as managers of copyrighted property, access versus ownership, the library advantage in document delivery, the value of copyright, and creating…

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)