Cara Schatz
+1.703.647.4917
cara@sla.org
New Certificate in Copyright Management Offered by SLA's Click University®
Courses Developed by Copyright Guru Lesley Ellen Harris
Alexandria, Virginia, 13 December 2007 - Special Libraries Association (SLA) members will soon be able to earn a Certificate in Copyright Management (CM), the association announced today. The certificate will be offered through SLA's Click University, the first and only online learning system for post-graduate, practicing librarians and information professionals.
"Information professionals and librarians, as part of their day-to-day work, are tasked with finding the best information available and then delivering that information appropriately without violating copyright restrictions," said SLA CEO Janice R. Lachance. "This is no small feat and in many organizations SLA members serve as the primary defense against costly infringement actions and ensure their employers stay within the limits of the law."
SLA is a nonprofit global organization for innovative information professionals and their strategic partners, and the CM certificate is designed for those who are involved with copyright administration and management issues. Whether obtaining copyright permissions, managing compliance, negotiating and interpreting license agreements, or dealing with digital content, information professionals will find the CM package of seven courses a quintessential "how to" when it comes to keeping their organizations in compliance with the law.
"Copyright management may not seem like a hot topic, but when you consider the potential cost for corporations, that tune changes. For example, a well-known analyst firm in the United States agreed in August 2007 to pay $300,000 to settle a complaint that it distributed one photocopied news article to its employees without permission of the copyright owners. A trained information professional likely would have prevented this and would have found a compliant way to share this information with those who needed it," said Lachance.
The Click U CM certificate program begins in January 2008 and will be available only to SLA members. Courses are being developed and instructed by copyright lawyer Lesley Ellen Harris of www.Copyrightlaws.com. Complete course descriptions, course schedules, and advance registration information are available on Click University www.clickuniversity.com.
Harris says the importance of complying with copyright law cannot be overstated and violations can cost companies millions of dollars, "In the case of Lowry's Reports v. Legg Mason a jury awarded US$ 19.7 million in damages to Lowry's Reports, Inc. for copyright infringement by Legg Mason."
Harris explains how a company can slide down a slippery slope of violation when they are not paying attention to copyright management and compliance, "Legg Mason purchased a single subscription of a Lowry's newsletter. Over the course of several years personnel copied, faxed and disseminated copies of the newsletter, and later posted an electronic version of the newsletter on its intranet, making it available to all Legg Mason employees. All of which were clear violations. This CM certificate will arm SLA members with the knowledge, authority and steps needed in order to protect their employers from breaking the law and incurring infringement at any level for any content - traditional or digital."
The first CM course is priced at US$ 195 and the remaining courses are priced at US$ 395. The first online course, Introduction to Copyright Management Principles & Issues, is scheduled to begin 22 January 2008. This course is a prerequisite to receive the certificate and space is limited. The first five courses are online and the remaining two courses will be held at SLA conference in Seattle in June 2008, and all courses may be taken a la carte. There is one additional course for Canadian SLA members on Canadian copyright law.
About Lesley Ellen Harris
Lesley Ellen Harris of Copyrightlaws.com is no stranger to SLA members. She has worked with SLA for several years, presenting workshops at SLA conferences, teaching online courses through Click University since its inception in 2005, and through her monthly Info Rights column in Information Outlook.
Harris' articles and papers are published internationally and she is the author of the books Canadian Copyright Law and Digital Property: Currency of the 21st Century, both published by McGraw-Hill, and Digital Licensing: A Practical Guide for Librarians, published by the American Library Association.
About SLA
The Special Libraries Association (SLA) is a nonprofit global organization for innovative information professionals and their strategic partners. SLA serves more than 11,000 members in 75 countries in the information profession, including corporate, academic, and government information specialists. SLA promotes and strengthens its members through learning, advocacy, and networking initiatives. For more information, visit us on the Web at www.sla.org.
About SLA's Click University®
SLA's Click U, launched in 2005, is the first and only online learning community focusing on continuing professional education for librarians, information professionals and knowledge workers. Click U is primarily designed to provide SLA members with state-of-the-art learning opportunities in partnership with today's information industry superstars. Courses on software and technology, management, communications, and leadership are designed to enhance the skills acquired through traditional library education. Click U also provides accessible certificate programs for information professionals looking to take the next step into a new career and utilize their traditional information skills in fields such as competitive intelligence, knowledge management, and copyright management. For more information about Click U go to www.clickuniversity.com.
Notes to Editors: For additional information or to schedule a supporting interview contact Cara Battaglini Schatz in the SLA PR Office (cara@sla.org or +1.703.647.4917)
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