New Copyright Website from CUL

Posted on by Cris

— For Immediate Release —
From: Laura Kenna, Columbia University Libraries, 212-854-4692, news@libraries.cul.columbia.edu

New Copyright Website from Columbia University

NEW YORK, November 11, 2009 – The Copyright Advisory Office of Columbia University in the City of New York, a leading provider of copyright resources for the educational community, has launched a fully revised and updated website of copyright issues and information. The new site is publicly accessible at http://copyright.columbia.edu, and offers expanded pages on copyright ownership, fair use, publication agreements, the Google Books settlement, and much more.

A principal mission of the Copyright Advisory Office (CAO), under the directorship of Dr. Kenneth Crews, is to provide copyright information and guidance for the academic community. The CAO website focuses on questions of ownership and publication of scholarly works, fair use in the context of scholarship and teaching, and the creation of digital libraries and preservation initiatives at university libraries.

Materials available immediately on the CAO website include:

  • A "QuickGuide" outlining succinctly the basics of copyright law.
  • Guidance for understanding and applying fair use, including the popular "Checklist for Fair Use" conceived by Dr. Crews and now utilized at a wide range of educational institutions.
  • Explanations and tools addressing library copying for research, preservation, and more.
  • Details about identifying materials in the public domain and understanding the rules of copyright duration.
  • Instructions for requesting and securing permissions from copyright owners.
  • Pointers and tips for authors about publication agreements and the importance of negotiating and retaining records.
  • A blog of postings from the CAO on Google Books and many other issues.
  • Extensive links to a wealth of copyright information.

New materials will be posted to the site on a continuing basis. The website was developed and designed in partnership with Columbia’s Center for Digital Research and Scholarship and its Scholarly Communication Program. Visit the website of the Copyright Advisory Office: http://copyright.columbia.edu.

For more information, contact the CAO at phone number (212) 851-0757 or by email: copyright@columbia.edu.

The Copyright Advisory Office (CAO) was established within Columbia University Libraries at the beginning of 2008, and it is of service to the wider academic community. Dr. Kenneth Crews, CAO Director, previously directed a similar office at Indiana University. He teaches International Copyright Law in the Columbia Law School and has conducted copyright workshops, lectures and programs in more than 40 states and on five continents. He is the author of many books and articles, including Copyright Law for Librarians and Educators (2nd Edition, 2006).

Columbia University Libraries/Information Services is one of the top five academic research library systems in North America. The collections include over 10 million volumes, over 100,000 journals and serials, as well as extensive electronic resources, manuscripts, rare books, microforms, maps, graphic and audio-visual materials. The services and collections are organized into 22 libraries and various academic technology centers. The Libraries employs more than 550 professional and support staff. The website of the Libraries at www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb is the gateway to its services and resources.