Copyright in the Library
Course
Library Copying [4:04]
- Learn how copyright relates to library copying.
- Learn ways to address library copying with staff at your school.
- Learn what copyright laws say about copying through real-world scenarios.
You walk into your library first thing in the morning and discover a teacher is already at the copier. It seems she has been there a while, because there are stacks of papers everywhere. When you ask her what she is copying, she responds that her students' workbooks were not ordered this year due to budget cuts, so she is copying an extra she had from last year. You glance at one of the stacks, and at the bottom of the top page, it says DO NOT REPRODUCE. What should you do in this situation?
In the print guidelines outlined in the Copyright Act of 1976, teachers can make copies for their classes in certain situations. However, there are specifics about how much can be copied, depending on what is being copied. In the scenario, a teacher is copying a workbook because hers were not ordered. A consumable, which can be any book a student writes in, cannot be copied at all. It is a direct violation of copyright laws to copy anything that says DO NOT REPRODUCE, unless you can get permission from the publisher of the workbook. If she were instead copying a story or poem, fair use guidelines mentioned in lesson 2 of this workshop may allow her to make copies for her students. While teachers are not usually caught violating copyright laws, severe penalties have been imposed against school districts that were caught and sued.
Unfortunately, this scenario is all too familiar in schools. Due to budget constraints or lack of knowledge, teachers copy materials that are illegal to copy. As a librarian, here are some practical suggestions for this situation. First, if you know this particular teacher well, have a friendly conversation with her right then about the implications of what she is doing. If you do not have that relationship with the teacher, consider approaching your principal about your concerns, without mentioning the teacher's name. Host a brief workshop after school or on a workday about copying guidelines. Many libraries also post a disclaimer on copiers that state it is the user's responsibility to follow copyright guidelines when making copies. When you exercise your due diligence in educating staff about the legality of copying, you will be protecting yourself and your school from possible litigation.
Ultimately, a school librarian has a lot to keep track of, including ordering books, teaching students, providing professional development, and much more. Copyright cognizance, especially related to teachers copying, is something you may consider adding to the topics for which you provide professional development. Strategies including raising awareness of laws and posting disclaimers can help you avoid any negative consequences.
Librarians have several hats to wear, including teaching, collection development, and helping both students and staff understand what materials are legal to use for teaching and learning. Use the resources and activity below to think through how you would react to each situation.
A teacher sends two students to the library to make five extra copies of a packet for their class. You greet them and glance through what the teacher has sent them with: two copied sections of their textbook, along with several pages of activities copied from a workbook. When you ask the students what they need it for, they reply that they don't have enough textbooks or workbooks for everyone in their class. How do you respond to these two students – and their teacher?
There are some situational considerations here. As long as extras are not on order and there is no permission from the publisher to make extra copies of consumables, what this teacher has sent these students to copy violates copyright law. Do you tell all of this to the students and send them back to class empty handed, or do you help them copy the packet anyway and make a note to talk to the teacher later about it? In your opinion, what is the most appropriate thing to do in this situation – with these two students waiting for your response? Using page 8 in the Course Packet (found in the Resources above), brainstorm your responses to this real-life scenario.
MLA Citation
Editorial Team, SLC. "Copyright in the Library: Copying in the Library." School Library Connection, October 2021, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2264099?learningModuleId=2264095&topicCenterId=2247902.
Entry ID: 2269701
Additional Resources
About the Author
MLA Citation
Grover, Rachel. "Copyright in the Library. Library Copying [4:04]." School Library Connection, ABC-CLIO, October 2021, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2264099?learningModuleId=2264095&topicCenterId=2247902.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2264099?learningModuleId=2264095&topicCenterId=2247902
Entry ID: 2264099