We are talking a lot about copyright this month. Starting back to school means trying to explain to your teachers, professors, principals, and a lot of stakeholders that copyright laws exist and are important.

Check out this quick excerpt from the website Copyrightlaws.com: A Simple Guide to Copyright for Librarians.

“Librarians, archivists, educators and other information professionals are involved in daily activities and issues they must address within the confines of copyright law. These may include:

• Photocopying and scanning articles
• Copying software or offering it for multiple users
• Downloading or incorporating music into presentations and course management systems
• Negotiating permissions with others for the use of their content
• Interpreting digital content licenses with third parties
• Applying fair use to a variety of situations
• Understanding exceptions set out in the copyright law
• Determining and researching when a work is in the public domain
• Teaching others about complying with copyright law
• Answering a variety of copyright questions”

“A Simple Guide to Copyright for Librarians: 15 Essential Facts and Tips

Consider our simple guide to copyright as the start of your copyright education journey. Add other essential information to it as you learn more about copyright law and licensing digital content. …

1. U.S. copyright law doesn’t protect ideas

2. The creator is generally the first owner of copyright in a copyright-protected work

3. Copyright protection is automatic…

6. Copyright duration in the U.S. is life-plus-seventy

7. You must have permission to use a copyright-protected work, even if you can’t locate the copyright owner

10. Fair use is ambiguous and flexible

11. Fair use applies to all users and both for- and nonprofit situations”

You can get the explanations of these tips, plus the rest of the 15, on their website. If you give them your name and email address, they will send you their guide. And their site has a variety of classes you might consider.