Rights Information and Education

Information About Copyright

General Information

The links below are web-accessible sites and documents that are useful in understanding U.S. Copyright law and its application in libraries.

• Copyright Office. Circular 1. Copyright Basics.
• Yale University. Copyright Resources Online.
• Stanford University Libraries. Copyright and Fair Use.

Public Domain

The "public domain" in US copyright law is those works that are not covered by copyright. Some works are in the public domain from their creation, such as works of the Federal government. Other works enter the public domain after their copyright term has expired.

• Peter Hirtle's chart: Copyright and the Public Domain in the United States

Libraries and Archives

• Minow, Mary. Library Digitization Projects and Copyright

Recommendations for Rights Education

Part of the planning stages for any digital library project must be the education of everyone who will be participating in the decision points of the digital library workflow.

(Sharon's report)