On Sunday, June 9, Lesley will be holding an Ask the Copyright Expert session, where she will offer free confidential consultations on copyright and licensing.

What are your copyright challenges?  Do any of these situations resonate with you?

Are there copyright implications for using a discussion list to solicit other libraries for an article for a client?  I don’t always have time to go through regular interlibrary loan channels, or the budget to purchase the article online from the publisher.

When I create a report for a client, do I need permission to reproduce charts, tables, or graphs from source material?   What if I recreate them myself?  Do I still need to seek copyright permission?

What can our information center do to prevent users from making copies that violate copyright laws?

I’m a blogger.  What can I do to protect my work from being taken and re-used without my permission?

Do I need permission to use images I find online in search engines like Google?

You’ll find Lesley in the Social Media Lounge in the registration area of the convention center from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.  There will be a sign-up sheet so you can plan your time slot around your other conference activities.  This session has been popular in the past, so don’t be late!

The post Ask the Copyright Expert at SLA 2013 appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

Read More:
White House Blog : Landmark Steps to Liberate Open Data
Sunlight Foundation Blog: Open Data Executive Order Shows Path Forward

View:
On the Clock: Open Data Executive Order  The U.S CTO and U.S. CIO, discuss the importance of President Obama’s executive order (2 min)

The post White House issues Executive Order on Open Data appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

There are no secrets for protecting your online content from unauthorized use. However, there are a number of best practices you can undertake to help ensure that your readers understand that your content is protected by copyright and that your permission should be sought before using, adapting and sharing your content.

The Copyright Symbol

One basic action to protect your online content is to use the international symbol for copyright: ©. This copyright symbol is a reminder to the world at large that copyright exists in the work. Many believe that online content is free for the taking; use of the symbol educates and reminds people that, in fact, copyright does exist in your online content and permission is necessary before using that content.

Using the copyright symbol does not require copyright registration of a work or any specific permission or rubber stamping. In countries like Canada and the U.S., the symbol is not mandatory; however, there are incentives to use it. In Canada, use of the symbol provides evidence in a court action that the alleged violator should have known that copyright existed in the work. In the U.S., use of the symbol precludes an alleged violator of copyright from submitting that he did not know that copyright existed in a work. In the U.S., works published before March 1, 1989, were subject to different rules and the copyright notice was mandatory, though corrective steps could be taken if it was omitted on a published work.

Should the symbol be displayed on any page within your Website? What are other best practices for protecting online content? Should you register the copyright in your content? These and many other issues will be explored in the upcoming course CCM800 Copyright Principles for Authors and Publishers.  CCM800 begins Thursday, May 2, and registration is now open.

For more information about CCM800 or the Certificate in Copyright Management program, send an e-mail to Click University. Follow Lesley on Twitter.

The post Authors and Publishers: Copyright Protect Your Online Content appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

You know you need to spread the copyright message with your colleagues but keeping the copyright message relevant to the day-to-day activities of your organization is challenging. Equally challenging is communicating your message. The key is to present the message in a manner that invites participation and cooperation. Here are some suggested copyright education opportunities.

Copyright Education Ideas

• Develop a scavenger hunt on copyright. Have it incorporate several scenarios that are likely to occur in your organization. Ask staff to identify as many copyright issues as they can. Provide a number of sources of information staff can use to answer the questions (e.g., your country’s copyright office, WIPO, organizational policies).

• Ask people in your organization to write and produce short (3 minute) vignettes on the use of copyright-protected materials. Getting others involved in copyright education will make them more interested in it. Make it fun; have them record the videos on their smart phones.

Find more copyright education ideas at Copyrightlaws.com.

Learn more about spreading the copyright word in your organization by attending CCM700 Teaching Others About Copyright and Licensing. This one-day course will be offered in San Diego at the SLA 2013 Annual Conference on Friday, June 7.

For more information about CCM700 or the Certificate in Copyright Management program, contact Click University.  Follow Lesley on Twitter.

The post Copyright Education That Invites Participation and Cooperation appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

U.S. Register of Copyrights Maria Pallante recently gave a paper entitled The Next Great Copyright Act. The paper included some historical analysis of U.S. copyright law including the following facts:

•    The 1976 Copyright Act codified the fair use doctrine (previously fair use was a concept in court cases)
•    The 1976 Act created specific exceptions for libraries and archives
•    Congress (then) intentionally deferred any specific exception for educational use concluding that it was not justified.

Jump ahead to March 2013. In Pallante’s paper and in testimony on 20 March before a Congressional Committee, she asked for a dialogue to begin on a general revision of the U.S. Copyright Act. Pallante states that the next copyright act should be forward thinking and flexible at the same time. Congress has to examine what does and does not belong under a copyright owner’s control, and also has to consider exceptions and limitations, enforcement tools, licensing schemes and a registration system that matches today’s world.

Pallante believes that the new copyright act will require many discussions relating to exceptions and limitations, including updating baseline standards for libraries and archives, addressing the ecosystem of higher education institutions and markets and even clarity in personal use activities. She sees all of these issues as complements to fair use. She notes that library exceptions and orphan works have already been the subject of many discussions by the Copyright Office and in Congress.

Libraries and Future Copyright Law

Pallante has opened the door for discussions; it is now up to Congress to move ahead. A general revision of the Copyright Act could take years; the last one took twenty years! Since many library issues are on the table, this is an excellent opportunity to participate and help formulate the provisions that most affect librarians.

How to begin? Librarians need to understand what uses of copyright materials they are making, how the current law works, and what the issues closest to them are. Exceptions, fair use and orphan works are a few of the many issues discussed in CCM500 Library and Special Library Copyright Issues, which begins April 10. Join this online course to learn the most relevant copyright issues in your library today.  If you have questions about the course or about the Certificate in Copyright Management program, please contact Click University at clicku@sla.org.

The post The Next Great Copyright Act — Librarians, Listen Up! appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

On March 20, the Continuing Resolution passed the Senate by a 73-26 vote, but did not include Coburn amendment #67 limiting federal employee attendance at meetings.

Read Letter

The post SLA Signs onto Letter Regarding Federal Employee Travel appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

U.S. Register of Copyrights Maria Pallante recently gave a paper entitled The Next Great Copyright Act. The paper included some historical analysis of U.S. copyright law including the following facts:

•    The 1976 Copyright Act codified the fair use doctrine (previously fair use was a concept in court cases)
•    The 1976 Act created specific exceptions for libraries and archives
•    Congress (then) intentionally deferred any specific exception for educational use concluding that it was not justified.

Jump ahead to March 2013. In Pallante’s paper and in testimony on 20 March before a Congressional Committee, she asked for a dialogue to begin on a general revision of the U.S. Copyright Act. Pallante states that the next copyright act should be forward thinking and flexible at the same time. Congress has to examine what does and does not belong under a copyright owner’s control, and also has to consider exceptions and limitations, enforcement tools, licensing schemes and a registration system that matches today’s world.

Pallante believes that the new copyright act will require many discussions relating to exceptions and limitations, including updating baseline standards for libraries and archives, addressing the ecosystem of higher education institutions and markets and even clarity in personal use activities. She sees all of these issues as complements to fair use. She notes that library exceptions and orphan works have already been the subject of many discussions by the Copyright Office and in Congress.

Libraries and Future Copyright Law

Pallante has opened the door for discussions; it is now up to Congress to move ahead. A general revision of the Copyright Act could take years; the last one took twenty years! Since many library issues are on the table, this is an excellent opportunity to participate and help formulate the provisions that most affect librarians.

How to begin? Librarians need to understand what uses of copyright materials they are making, how the current law works, and what the issues closest to them are. Exceptions, fair use and orphan works are a few of the many issues discussed in CCM500 Library and Special Library Copyright Issues, which begins April 10. Join this online course to learn the most relevant copyright issues in your library today.  If you have questions about the course or about the Certificate in Copyright Management program, please contact Click University at clicku@sla.org.

The post The Next Great Copyright Act — Librarians, Listen Up! appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

In the interest of encouraging private companies to share cybersecurity threat information, the bill unwisely and unnecessarily cuts off all public access to cyber threat information before the public and Congress have the chance to understand the types of information that are withheld under the bill.

Read Letter.

The post SLA Expresses Concern over CISPA appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

CCM700 Teaching Others About Copyright and Licensing (Friday, June 7; $395/$495) covers the critical aspects of instituting enterprise-wide copyright education, including developing a copyright policy and explaining difficult legal concepts in plain language. Instructor: Lesley Ellen Harris of Copyrightlaws.com

CCM600 Copyright Compliance and Management (Saturday, June 8; $395/$495) provides pointers for avoiding copyright infringement lawsuits, negotiating and working with license agreements, and dealing with unlocatable copyright owners. Instructor: Lesley Ellen Harris of Copyrightlaws.com

KMKS102 The Knowledge Audit: Evaluating Intellectual Capital Use (Friday, June 7; $495/$595) is an exploration of using the needs analysis and information audit data to evaluate an organization’s knowledge assets. Instructors: Dale Stanley, Gilead Sciences; Robin Jourdan, Ford Motor Company; Guy St. Clair, Columbia University

KMKS101 Fundamentals of Knowledge Management and Knowledge Services (Saturday, June 8; $495/$595) links KM theory with knowledge services, which encourages informed decision-making, accelerated innovation, and leadership support for efforts related to maximizing KM/KS efforts. Instructors: Guy St. Clair, Columbia University; Dale Stanley, Gilead Sciences

Each course takes place over a full day, which allows for meaningful discussion, learning exercises, and networking.  These courses are part of Click University’s certificate programs, but may be taken à la carte.

Contact Click University for more information.

The post Deepen Your Knowledge of Copyright and KM in San Diego appeared first on Special Libraries Association.

On Friday, March 15th, OpenTheGovernment.org and the First Amendment Center, with support from several organizations including SLA, will host a Sunshine Week celebration of National Freedom of Information Day at the Newseum in Washington, DC. Download the agenda HERE.

Registration is free. To Register: e-mail or telephone Ashlie Hampton of the First Amendment Center at ahampton@freedomforum.org or 202/292-6288. When registering, please provide your name, title, affiliation and contact information for agenda updates and other news.

 Read full details at OpenTheGovernment.Org  

The post Sunshine Week Event on March 15: Register Now appeared first on Special Libraries Association.