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Libraries Web site adds new copyright features
By Laura-Claire Corson
Library Communications
Posted 1/30/2007
MADISON, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin–Madison Libraries recently unveiled basic copyright information on their Web site, taking the first step in building a comprehensive guide dedicated to informing the UW–Madison community about copyright law.
“Our goal is to provide educational information about copyright,” says Carrie Kruse, director of College Library. “We have an educational role on campus, and we can be a resource for people to find this information.”
The site can be found at http://www.library.wisc.edu/copyright or through the drop-down menu under the "Help & Guidance" section on the main library page. It explains basic facts on copyright, such as exclusive rights, public domain and exemption through fair use, issues that intersect with services offered by the libraries.
More specifically, there is internal information regarding UW–Madison Libraries copyright policies. Links are provided to inform viewers about interlibrary loan, electronic reserves, University of Wisconsin Digital Collections, authors’ rights, and a bullet-point list of criteria for appropriate copying of library materials.
For now, the target demographic is faculty and graduate students who would generally find the information more useful. As information regarding topics such as peer-to-peer file sharing is added, however, undergraduates will find the site suits their needs.
Links to other major university libraries’ copyright sites, such as the University of Minnesota and the University of Texas-Austin, are provided to supplement the basic information at this time.