Tangible and intangible forms of indigenous knowledges and cultural expressions are often found in libraries, archives or museums. Often the "legal" copyright is not held by the indigenous people’s group from which the knowledge or cultural expression originates. Indigenous peoples regard unauthorized use of their cultural expressions as theft and believe that the true expression of that knowledge can only be sustained, transformed, and remain dynamic in its proper cultural context. Readers will begin to understand how to respect and preserve these ways of knowing while appreciating the cultural memory institutions’ attempts to transfer the knowledges to the next generation.
Today, it has been said, the world is "flat," as online media allow information to move easily from point to point across the earth. International legal differences, however, are increasingly affecting the ease with which data and ideas can be shared across nations. Copyright law, for example, affects the international flow of materials by stipulating who has the right to replicate or to share certain kinds of content. Similarly, perspectives on privacy rights can differ from nation to nation and affect how personal information is shared globally. Moreover, national laws can affect the exchange of ideas by stipulating the language in which information must be presented in different geopolitical regions. Today's technical communicators need to understand how legal factors can affect communication practices if they wish to work effectively in global contexts. This collection provides an overview of different legal aspects that technical communicators might encounter when creating materials or sharing information in international environments. Through addressing topics ranging from privacy rights and information exchange to the legalities of business practices in virtual worlds and perspectives on authorship and ownership, the contributors to this volume examine a variety of communication-based legal issues that can cause problems or miscommunication in international interactions. Reviewing such topics from different perspectives, the authors collectively provide ideas that could serve as a foundation for creating best practices on or for engaging in future research in the area of legal issues in international settings.
This publication, prepared under the aegis of the WIPO Creative Heritage Project by two external consultants, Ms. Molly Torsen and Dr. Jane Anderson, offers legal information and compiles practical experiences on the management of intellectual property for cultural institutions whose collections comprise traditional cultural expressions. It seeks to respond directly to the needs of cultural institutions and indigenous and traditional communities dealing with the preservation, safeguarding and protection of cultural heritage.
The law should be accessible to every professional, which is the philosophy behind The Law of Libraries and Archives. In this invaluable book, legal concepts are explained in plain English so that librarians and archivists will be able to understand the principles that affect them on a daily basis. This book provides its readers with answers and raises issues for them to think about. In addition to providing a basic overview of the law, this work contains enough details to allow readers to make informed choices and to converse intelligently with legal counsel. Some of the issues included in the book include contracts, copyright and patent law, fair use, copyright exceptions for libraries, and the TEACH Act. The book contains chapters discussing trademark law, licensing of databases, information malpractice, and professionalism, as well as privacy issues, the PATRIOT Act, employment law, and the basics of starting a non-profit organization. Visit the author's website for a number of important documents and resources related to library law.
Hundreds of tribal libraries, archives, and other information centers offer the services patrons would expect from any library: circulation of materials, collection of singular items (such as oral histories), and public services (such as summer reading programs). What is unique in these settings is the commitment to tribal protocols and expressions of tribal lifeways—from their footprints on the land to their architecture and interior design, institutional names, signage, and special services, such as native language promotion. This book offers a collection of articles devoted to tribal libraries and archives and provides an opportunity for tribal librarians to share their stories, challenges, achievements, and aspirations with the larger professional community. Part one introduces the tribal community library, providing context and case studies for libraries in California, Alaska, Oklahoma, Hawai'i, and in other countries. The role of tribal libraries and archives in native language recovery and revitalization is also addressed in this section. Part two features service functions of tribal information centers, addressing the library facility, selection, organization, instruction, and programming/outreach. Part three includes a discussion of the types of records that tribes might collect, legal issues, and snapshot descriptions of noteworthy archival collections. The final part covers strategic planning, advice on working in the unique environments of tribal communities, advocacy and marketing, continuing education plans for library staff, and time management tips that are useful for anyone working in a small library setting.
This revised and updated second edition addresses the area where law and information security concerns intersect. Information systems security and legal compliance are now required to protect critical governmental and corporate infrastructure, intellectual property created by individuals and organizations alike, and information that individuals believe should be protected from unreasonable intrusion. Organizations must build numerous information security and privacy responses into their daily operations to protect the business itself, fully meet legal requirements, and to meet the expectations of employees and customers. --
Here is a useful and readable volume about important and controversial legal issues of concern to all library managers and information professionals. Learn the implications of the complex, relevant laws on collective bargaining, privacy of circulation files, employee record keeping, personnel management, censorship, copyright, and much more.
This important Research Handbook offers a comprehensive analysis of the intersections between intellectual property (IP) and cultural heritage law. It explores and compares how both have evolved and sometimes converged over time, how they increased tremendously in significance, as well as in economic value, despite the fact that the former mainly pertains to the private sphere, whilst the latter is considered a ‘common good’.
Get the latest information on new developments in copyright law! This timely volume sheds light on the important legal issues that influence the scholarly publishing world. The often-confusing field of publishing law--including copyright, licensing, liability, electronic publishing, and taxation--is going through an unprecedented upheaval as we move into the twenty-first century. Publishing and the Law: Current Legal Issues offers clear, current explanations of the implications of recent laws and technologies and predicts what further changes to expect. Featuring legal, business, and publishing experts, Publishing and the Law discusses the wide-ranging implications of the decline of fair use, the rise of software licensing, the Communications Decency Act, and such landmark legal cases as LaMacchia, Feist, and Matthew Bender. Questions of ownership, fair use, and licensing--historically a problem for authors such as Twain and Dickens--have become exacerbated by the fact that information is no longer static, but rather fluid and transportable. Publishing and the Law addresses the vital questions of interest to librarians, publishers, and scholars, including: How will changing technologies affect the legal status of libraries, universities, authors, and publishers? What are the latest trends in liability for authors and publishers? How does anti-trust law affect library budgets? Why is copyright giving way to licensing, and what does that mean for libraries? How has the definition of fair use changed? Do attempts to censor the Internet abrogate First Amendment rights? How does electronic publishing force changes to the rules that worked for traditional printed books and journals? In an age of advancing technology, Congress and the courts will be called upon with more and more frequency to maintain a balance between the copyright holder's economic interests and society's right to have access to information. Librarians, university administrators, authors, and publishers can benefit from Publishing and the Law: Current Legal Issues to help them understand current trends in intellectual property law.
