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arl-ereserve: Re: copyright permissions for electronic reserves

arl-ereserve: Re: copyright permissions for electronic reserves

Re: copyright permissions for electronic reserves

Brian Nielsen (b-nielsen@nwu.edu)
Thu, 30 Oct 1997 09:31:53 -0600 

Message-Id: <3.0.3.32.19971030093153.008bd9c0@merle.acns.nwu.edu>
Date: Thu, 30 Oct 1997 09:31:53 -0600
To: arl-ereserve@arl.org, dhiller@bucknell.edu
From: Brian Nielsen <b-nielsen@nwu.edu>
Subject: Re: copyright permissions for electronic reserves
In-Reply-To: <3.0.1.32.19971029143109.0069f8cc@mail.bucknell.edu>


On 10/29/97,B ud Hiller <dhiller@bucknell.edu> wrote:
> 
> we're expanding our use of e-reserves from items that have no fair use
> implications (in our humble opinion!) to copyrighted materials that will
> require publishers' permission.  our system is closed to users
> attempting to access from off campus, is searchable only by instructor
> or course, and offers password protection.  can anyone offer any sort of
> numbers that might indicate how successful we are likely to be in
> obtaining permissions for electronic reserves? thanks. 


Think first.  

The Fair Use provision of the Copyright Act of 1976 indicates plainly
that permission-seeking is NOT REQUIRED in MANY (I could say MOST or,
dodging just a few bullets, NEARLY ALL) situations that libraries use
electronic (and paper) reserves for.  Asking for permission out of
"habit" when you don't need to is surrendering to copyright owners a
right that they do not by law have, and is detrimental to the collective
needs of the educational community.  Read the law before you set up
procedures.  Also look at what other libraries are doing (see
http://www.arl.org/newsltr/192/192toc.html for a good, current, view 
on this issue). 



            Brian Nielsen, Ph.D.
            Manager, Learning Technologies Group
             Academic Technologies
            Northwestern University
            2129 N. Campus Drive
            Evanston, IL  60208-2850
            (847)491-2170   fax:(847)491-3824
            email: b-nielsen@nwu.edu
            http://www.nwu.edu/people/b-nielsen

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