News and Advice on copyright issues for librarians and educators from School Library Journal.
Vander Ark Sunk 10/01/2008
Steve Vander Ark won't be publishing The Harry Potter Lexicon after all. U.S. District Judge Robert Patterson has ruled in favor of author J. K. Rowling, who sued Vander Ark last November to stop publication of his book. The print version of The Harry Potter Lexicon would have been drawn verbatim from the material on Vander Ark's Web site, one of the most comprehensive encyclopedic listings of...
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A Common Cover-up By Carrie Russell - 10/01/2008
We’d like to display our DVDs—just the cases, not the contents. Can we make copies of the original covers (which have the bar codes) to circulate along with the actual discs? —Susan Clayton, assistant county librarian Lake County Library, Lakeport, CA Yes, it’s fine to make copies of the covers.
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An Unplanned Problem By Carrie Russell - 08/01/2008
After we took our 11th and 12th graders to see the movie Juno, one of our teachers posted a link to the film’s script. Since the screenplay is for sale online and at bookstores, is that OK? When I told him that downloading the entire script for free might be a problem, he replied, “It’s a gray area—it’s alright.
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Carrie on Copyright: Rules of the Game By Carrie Russell - 06/01/2008
Lots of school and public libraries are hosting gaming tournaments, featuring popular video games like Guitar Hero and Madden Football. Since these games are intended for home use, isn’t that similar to purchasing a movie and showing it to a large audience? —Curtis L. Clark, library media specialist Harrisonville (MO) Middle School Everyone seems to be asking that question! Video g...
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Carrie on Copyright: Bet Your Bottom Dollar By Carrie Russell - 04/01/2008
Is it OK for my language arts students to listen to an audiobook from the public library? —Jeanne LaMoore, media specialist Middle School West, Chaska, MN Absolutely! If you work in a nonprofit educational institution, audiobooks, CDs, art slides, and videos may be used in the “face-to-face classroom” without prior authorization from the copyright holder (Section 110 [1]).
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Judge Rules That Turnitin Does Not Violate Students' Copyrights Joan Oleck - 03/31/2008
Four Virginia and Arizona high school students hoping to score a legal hit against Turnitin have been rebuffed: a federal district court judge in Virginia recently threw out their lawsuit, ruling that the plagiarism detection company does not violate the copyright of students, even though it stores digital copies of their essays to check future submissions for academic dishonesty.
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Card Wins Edwards Award By Staff - 02/01/2008
If a well-known author writes and speaks about gays and lesbians in a way that many interpret to be anti-gay, should he be given an award that honors his outstanding lifetime contribution to writing for teens? Librarians, authors, and academics have been debating that complex question since January 14, when this year’s Margaret A.
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Podcasts are a great way to expand learning beyond the classroom or library. Here are more recommendations from Tech Chicks Anna Adam and Helen Mowers, following up their Dec. 2007 article Listen Up!
Gr 4-7–When their beloved Aunt Grace dies, Dan, 11, and Amy, 14–along with other Cahill descendants–are faced with an unusual choice: inherit one million dollars or participate in a perilous treasure hunt.
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