As distance learning expands, so do copyright issues. Law provides little guidance on how use of distance learning materials may violate copyright laws. A year after a White House task force called for redefinition of intellectual property rights, no legislation has been filed to clarify the widely ranging issues. Several New England states have…

Discusses (1) the history of document delivery; (2) the delivery process--end-user request, intermediary request, vendor reference, citation verification, obtaining document and source relations, quality control, transferring document to client, customer service and status, invoicing and billing, research and development, and copyright; and (3)…

The International Federation of Library Association (IFLA) announced that Dutch scientific and German special libraries adopted electronic licensing guidelines. Emphasizes consortia and the need for libraries to stick together. Discusses general principles; access and use; storage, formats and integration; services and costs; information and use;…

Nearly every academic practice is being transformed by information technology. The concept of "piracy," or "theft," presumes that ideas can still be treated as if they are property, and if so, that the rules controlling the movement of idea-properties can be enforced. (MLW)

Points out the need for research concerning the effects of media and popular culture on behavior, the current approaches to media education, and the identification of media literacy skills. Lists concerns of teachers about copyrights, suitable resources, staff training, evaluation practices, and curriculum design when teaching media literacy. (KO)

Instances in which federal patent or copyright law may be too rigid or limited to protect university research are discussed, and the applicability of trade-secrets law is assessed, particularly under the Freedom of Information Act. Differential treatment of trade secrets under state laws is considered. (MSE)

Discusses the development of a national information superhighway. Highlights include the National Information Infrastructure; NREN (National Research and Education Network); private networks, including Prodigy; repositioning in the telecommunications industry, including telephone, cable, and entertainment companies; government regulations;…

Contains reprints of four articles showing that librarians foresaw the impact of technology on libraries: (1) "Copyright and the Future of Authorship" (Barbara Ringer); (2) "Inventions and Books--What of the Future?" (Ethel M. Fair); (3) "The Changes Ahead" (Lowell A. Martin); (4) "Trial by Computer" (Basil…

Describes the ELINOR (Electronic Library INformation Online Retrieval) electronic library project, which contains a large collection of full-text, high-use materials, including books, journals, course materials, and multimedia learning packages. Focuses on user aspects of the database; system architecture; copyright management; and collection,…

Discusses document delivery services in the light of new technology. Topics addressed include the historical influences of the printing press; the influence of microcomputers on the publishing industry; copyright issues; the changing role of publishers, researchers, and academic librarians; information partnerships among publishers, librarians,…

Considers electronic online access to newspapers, magazines, and newsletters. Legal factors discussed include license agreements and copyright; financial factors include royalties, pricing, and publisher priorities; and technological factors include keyed versus electronic copy, electronic delivery, graphics, telecommunications, and image-based…

Compares issues in the commercialization of public information through wide area networks in the United States and Europe. Policy and legal questions, the public's right to access information, government copyright issues, the potential for public-private-sector synergy, and the need to standardize formats and pricing are discussed. (Contains 45…

Widely accessible networked computing reduces important barriers to learning, gives students real-world tools for real-world problems, and broadens practical collegiality. The challenge is to ensure that members of the electronic community understand the legal and ethical boundaries they must respect. This is essentially an educational issue. (MSE)

Lists items on government information published or indexed from November 1993-April 1994, including materials on U.S. government information policy, publications, and resources; foreign, international, and intergovernmental government information policy and resources; government archives (worldwide); state and local publications and resources;…

Discusses the development of electronic books and considers marketing and distribution, rights management, and technical standards. Economic and institutional relationships, copyrights, Extensible Markup Language (XML), access to content, free access versus fees, preservation versus loss of control over long-term storage and access, and trusted…