Advanced eCourse: The Fundamentals of Copyright for Modern Libraries

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An ALA Continuing Education and SJSU iSchool Advanced eCourse

Understanding the basics of copyright law is vital for librarians. Copyright issues arise in many of our daily tasks, from website design to book scanning projects to online reference. To participate in the ongoing debate about fair use, digital rights management systems, e-reserve systems, digitization projects, and more, librarians need to be well versed in both the basics of copyright law and the latest developments by regulation, legislation, and court decisions.

This course will examine and explain the fundamentals of U.S. copyright and give librarians a legal and policy framework to evaluate the varied copyright scenarios that libraries and archives face today. It is applicable to those who need to refresh their understanding of copyright as well as those who are new to this area of librarianship. You will develop skills in fair use analysis; determination of copyright ownership; and application of the exceptions in the law and ways to help ensure you are legally using copyrighted materials.

Through completing this course, participants will:

  • Demonstrate knowledge of U.S. copyright law, library/archive copyright exceptions (17 U.S.C. Sect. 108), TEACH Act, Fair Use guidelines, and DCMA exceptions.
  • Apply flowcharts to visualize and break down the essential steps of a wide range of copyright issues and how they can be processed.
  • Determine copyright status of a work and assess legality of including in digital collections.
  • Make good faith Fair Use copyright analyses in multiple scenarios.
  • Exhibit familiarity with the process of seeking permission, particularly through the Copyright Clearance Center.
  • Evaluate publisher copyright policies, Creative Commons licensing, and self-archiving rules.

Alyce L. Scott has an MLIS from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Ms. Scott is a lecturer for the iSchool at San Jose State University, teaching courses in designing for information retrieval; digitization and digital preservation; tools, systems, and methodologies for digital curation; and copyright. She has worked in a variety of library settings, most recently serving as the Coordinator of the Digital Imaging Program at the Illinois State Library (ISL). At the Illinois State Library Ms. Scott was part of the team that developed the Illinois Digital Archives, overseeing the digitization of materials from the ISL collection, including copyright compliance, and providing state-wide training in the use of CONTENTdm software and copyright for digital collections.

If you have questions or requests regarding accessibility, contact us at  ce@ala.org or at 312-280-5100.

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