Copyright in the Library
PD Kit
Implementing the everyday considerations of copyright law is a responsibility that falls to librarians for reasons both practical—librarians engage with or know about much of a school community's use of information in all formats—and professional, in that appropriate, ethical use and attribution of intellectual property are hallmarks of professional standards and principles of librarianship.
Even so, learning to navigate copyright, model best practices in copyright law and fair use, and teach the school community about these guidelines can be a confusing and even intimidating undertaking for school librarians. In this professional development kit, we ease that fear by equipping school librarians with key understandings, practical examples, and resources to consult for further information. Through video, interactive and self-guided exercises, and framing content for supervisors or facilitators (provided in text segments and editable slides), participants will learn or refresh their skills on the basics of copyright, including its purpose and considerations for schools. Then they will explore common applications of copyright law and fair use guidelines for school libraries, including: providing materials in accordance with fair use; navigating requests, common myths, and potential concerns; and guiding students and teachers on fair use and use of copyrighted materials.
This resource is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information regarding application of copyright law in schools. Nothing in this resource is intended to constitute legal advice, and nothing herein should be considered legal advice. If legal advice is required, the reader should consult a licensed attorney. Neither ABC-CLIO, LLC, nor the author make any warranties or representations concerning the information contained in this resource or the use to which it is put.
Workshop Components:
- Part I: Introduction to Copyright, guided prework to be completed by participants in advance of the first synchronous session, approximately 30–40 minutes
- Part II: Basics of Copyright, an interactive synchronous session of about 90 minutes
- Part III: Questions for Librarians, a self-study segment comprising about 2–3 hours over the course of a month or more
- Part IV: Copyright at School, a second synchronous session of about 90 minutes
- Part V: Continuing to Lead and Learn about Copyright, ideas for continuing professional development on copyright and fair use throughout the year
Each school district or system has its own priorities, needs, and circumstances, so we hope you'll consider these resources as pliable, remixable activities and ideas, ready for you to use and adapt. Exercises described as "synchronous" can be implemented with the facilitator and participants together in an on-site location, via virtual spaces through video conference, breakout rooms, and collaborative digital tools, or with some tweaking, even in a blended format. All materials are linked or provided in this kit.
Workshop Goals:
Objectives for each session accompany the instructions.
- Explain that the main goal of copyright law is to maintain a balance between copyright owners and users of copyrighted works.
- Describe works that fall into the different categories of public domain and discuss rights held by users of a copyrighted work.
- Discuss and apply fair use for school settings, including ambiguities, common misconceptions, and common misuses of copyrighted materials.
- Identify four factors of fair use: (1) purpose/character of the use; (2) the nature of the work; (3) amount of work you are using; and (4) the effect of the use on the marketplace.
- Distinguish between law and guidelines with regard to fair use.
- Practice using fair use guidelines and resources, including classroom copying guidelines and Conference on Fair Use (CONFU) guidelines.
- Describe medium and format considerations within copyright guidelines.
- Discuss fair use considerations pertaining to "transformative use," with an emphasis on digital works and tools.
- Give examples and discuss copyright concerns around materials in digital and electronic formats.
- Identify the basics of a "license" for using copyrighted works in a school environment.
- Examine and discuss licensing agreements.
- Define "self-censorship" in relation to librarians' and educators' understandings of copyright law.
- Analyze and discuss acceptable use policies and procedures to reduce confusion and provide guidance for teachers, students, and staff.
- Review and make suggestions for updates (as needed) to copyright-related policies of your school or district.
Alignment with AASL National School Library Standards
School Library I. C. The school library provides learners opportunities to maintain focus throughout the inquiry process by: 2. Enabling equitable physical and intellectual access by providing barrier-free, universally designed environments.
School Library II. C. The school library facilitates opportunities to experience diverse ideas by: 1. Implementing solutions that address physical, social, cultural, linguistic, and intellectual barriers to equitable access to resources and services.
School Library III. B. The school library's policies ensure that school librarians are active participants in development, evaluation, and improvement of instructional and program resources with the school librarian by: 3. Including the school community in the development of school library policies and procedures
School Library VI. A. The school library serves as a context in which the school librarian ensures that the school community is aware of the guidelines for safe, ethical, and legal use of information by: 1. Educating the school community on the ethical use of information and the intellectual property of others. 2. Designing instruction and delivery of services that support equitable access to information in an efficient and ethical manner by all members of the school community. 3. Embedding legal, ethical, and social responsibility concepts into the inquiry and information-seeking processes.
School Library VI. B. The school library supports ethical processes for information seeking and use by: 1. Providing an environment in which all members of the school community can work together to develop, approve, and engage in clearly stated use policies to guide acceptable and ethical use of information, technology, and media. 2. Promoting the responsible use of ideas, information, media, and technology through compliance with copyright and intellectual property policies developed by the school librarian in collaboration with all members of the school community.
School Library VI. C. The school library encourages participation in a diverse learning community to create and share information by: 2. Providing a context in which the school librarian can model for learners, other educators, and administrators multiple strategies to locate, evaluate, and ethically use information for specific purposes.
School Library VI. D. The school library supports individual responsibility for information use by: 1. Providing an environment in which the school librarian can effectively develop, direct, and promote resources, services, policies, procedures, and programming aligned with current standards, ethical codes, and principles of the education and information professions. 2. Providing an engaging learning environment that supports innovative and ethical use of information and information technologies.
School Librarian IV. C. School librarians contribute to and guide information resource exchange within and beyond the school learning community by: 1. Facilitating opportunities to access and evaluate collaboratively constructed information sites. 2. Devising pathways for learners to contribute to collaboratively constructed information sites by ethically using and reproducing others' work.
School Librarian VI. A. School librarians promote ethical and legal guidelines for gathering and using information by: 1. Directing learners to responsibly use information, technology, and media for learning, and modeling this responsible use. 2. Modeling the understanding of ethical use of information, technology, and media. 3. Teaching learners how and why to evaluate information for accuracy, validity, social and cultural context, and appropriateness for need.
School Librarian VI. B. School librarians act as a resource for using valid information and reasoned conclusions to make ethical decisions in the creation of knowledge by: 1. Showing a variety of strategies to ethically use and reproduce others' work, and modeling this ethical use. 2. Requiring complete attribution to acknowledge authorship and demonstrate respect for the intellectual property of others. 3. Promoting the inclusion of elements in personal-knowledge products that allow others to credit content appropriately
School Librarian VI. C. School librarians promote the responsible, ethical, and legal sharing of new information with a global community by: 1. Imparting strategies for sharing information resources in accordance with modification, reuse, and remix policies.
School Librarian VI. C. School librarians support learners' engagement with information to extend personal learning by: 2. Designing experiences that help learners communicate the value of the ethical creation of new knowledge and reflect on their process. 3. Championing and modeling safe, responsible, ethical, and legal information behaviors.
Alignment with ISTE Standards for Educators
3. Citizen. Educators inspire students to positively contribute to and responsibly participate in the digital world.
3.c. Mentor students in safe, legal and ethical practices with digital tools and the protection of intellectual rights and property.
MLA Citation
Morris, Rebecca J. "Copyright in the Library." School Library Connection, November 2021, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Turnkey/2267140.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Turnkey/2267140
Entry ID: 2267140