Libraries of all sorts have a variety of different issues that come up that involve legal issues.

So, we are including an excerpt from the latest article from the American Libraries journal, covering an assortment of issues that might come up in your library. You can read the whole thing here.

“Our online column Letters of the Law explores a wide range of legal issues that arise in libraries, with the help of a pair of leading authorities: Mary Minow, a librarian who became a lawyer; and Tomas A. Lipinski, a lawyer who became a librarian. Together they have authored four books on the subject, including The Library’s Legal Answer Book (ALA Editions, 2003, with a new edition forthcoming in 2021), and led forums at American Library Association (ALA) conferences in collaboration with the Public Library Association (PLA).

In this column, Lipinski explores copyright for remote learning, exemptions to protected media for education, and exculpatory agreements—which were in the news during election season, when participants at certain rallies waived their right to hold the host liable for any harm or illness contracted.”

The questions covered here include:

• As our school district has moved all classes online, we’re working to create meaningful programming to support teaching and learning. What should we know about copyright?
• I would like to use several movie clips in a youth literacy program. The source DVDs of the clips are protected by Content Scramble System (CSS) technology—may I circumvent the protection measures to create high-quality resolution clips?
• I’ve heard in the news about liability waivers; can they apply in a library setting? Could a patron who gets sick sue the library?

You can read the entire article here, including all the responses!