Copyright and E‐learning: A Guide for Practitioners

Citation

Myhill, M. (2010), "Copyright and E‐learning: A Guide for Practitioners", Program: electronic library and information systems, Vol. 44 No. 4, pp. 406-407. https://doi.org/10.1108/00330331011083293

Until I was recently confronted by an article on the drying properties of cement I was under a strong illusion that the library world had more than its fair share of concepts which can induce instant onset of “glazed‐eye” syndrome in any rational human being. At the risk of alienating the entire readership of this journal I can call to mind the delights of discussing the merits of different sorts of classification schemes (whatever happened to Ranganathan?), the transfer from UKMARC to MARC21 (never was a full stop so important) and even filing catalogue cards (if you are old enough to remember them) in word by word rather than letter by letter order. To this list I would always have included a significant contribution on copyright.

That is not to say that copyright is irrelevant or mindless and Jane Secker's book on the subject makes it very clear that as well as being cerebral, complex and wide‐ranging, copyright affects us all and is worthy of very great respect. The book, however, goes far further than merely highlighting the issues of copyright for librarians – useful though the first chapter will be if you have little, or no, grasp of this subject. The context of e‐learning is one which impacts on all of us in the information professions as the various iterations of the internet bring wave after wave of user‐empowering improvements and refinements to the way that resources are delivered in almost any form of teaching and learning.

The introductory chapter which seeks to do the impossible and almost succeeds – introducing copyright, UK copyright law, set an international context from other parts of the English‐speaking world – all in the context of e‐learning. Through the following chapters, the book explores the use of the virtual learning environment, multimedia, “born digital” resources, the latest developments in web‐ and social‐networking technology and a final, significant section regarding copyright training for staff. In each chapter there are carefully drawn case studies to support the textual narrative.

I would have liked to have seen a greater emphasis on the European copyright context and, although it is clear from the outset that this is not a work which provides legal advice, more on the legal background in the UK. It is interesting to note the differences between the UK's “fair dealing” concept as opposed to the USA's “fair use” but I think this is over‐emphasised and repeated at the expense of a more UK‐centric approach and I am not clear that delving into random, international case studies enhances the core intentions of the book.

Having said that, this is not a book which is weak on content or style and should be a seminal read for those launching into the world of copyright, for those compiling e‐resources and even to remind those of us who have been immersed in this environment for a number of years of current practices and problem areas. I duly promise to remove copyright from my glazed‐eye list.

Finally, it would be inappropriate to write a review of this book without paying tribute to David Crook whose untimely death was recently announced. David, who had contributed data to this book and worked alongside the higher education community for many years as the account manager for the Copyright Licensing Agency was always keen to engage with us at grass‐roots level and will be greatly missed.