Episode 704: Basics: Copyright

We talk about copyright pretty often, and of course this is important for libraries. People working in all types of libraries are often the ones responsible for advising the rest of their organization on how to best follow federal copyright laws. Our show notes page is here! And right now, we are in the unusual position of having our school and library buildings open, closed, or in a hybrid situation – with our work moving online. This presents a variety of different copyright situations we need to be considering. And you may be hearing a variety of contradictory advice. We have been reading a lot of library voices online saying that in an emergency situation, like our current pandemic, it should be okay to use copyright material however we need to. We would be very cautious there, and would not suggest doing that. Federal law does not provide for a “there is a global pandemic happening” exception to copyright laws. So, let’s just play it safe. Let’s follow copyright laws, and let’s encourage our community members to also do it.

Om Podcasten

Libraries are amazing places! The work library people do is so wide-ranging, it can be hard to keep up on the latest news. We are here to help. Each episode, we focus on one area of library work, discuss library news stories, recommend some books, and share a Spotlight Library that is doing some interesting work. If your image of libraries is dominated by crabby old women who shush you, or places where they scowl when you take books home - you are in for a big surprise. Libraries are the jewels of their communities, and doing all sorts of amazing things every day! Books are the backbone of any library, and there is so much more to do and to use. Service to every member of their community means searching out and connecting with the needs of a lot of different groups. No matter what your interests, there is a library out there for you! Listen to us talk about some of the great things happening in libraries today!