Some years ago I was providing editorial services to an Ontario researcher. Particularly when using interlibrary loan (ILL) services, shortcomings in library practices were causing unwarranted research delays.

This prompted me to review copyright policies across several post-secondary institutions. At the time, there was a tendency to focus on provision of course materials, with little explicit consideration of how copyright policies impacted research practices outside the classroom.

New developments in Canadian copyright law, combined with my professional experiences, inspired me to develop the following copyright training plan. It's a five session professional development course on Canadian copyright law for ILL staff, particularly those working in an academic setting. Each session builds on topics discussed in previous sessions.

Learning Objectives

• To examine the intent of copyright law, how this impacts academic institutions in general, and academic libraries in particular.
• To become familiar with the actual text of the Copyright Act, particularly those sections that most impact interlibrary loan services.
• To recognize which sections of the law are relevant to research activities versus those sections of the law relevant to teaching activities.
• To understand the rulings of several important Supreme Court decisions on copyright that are particularly relevant to ILL librarians in the academic setting.
• To learn about the applicability of fair dealing, with an emphasis on the relevance of this legal concept to information professionals (not just end users).
• To begin to consider how copyright collectives, vendor licences, university policy, and the law intersect in these changing times, and how this intersection impacts ILL practices.

U.S. Copyright Law