[BOAI] Harvard’s Berkman Center and eIFL.net Launch "Copyright for Librarians"

[Peter Suber]

[Forwarding from Harvard's Berkman Center.  --Peter Suber.]


 Good afternoon,

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society is pleased to announce that
"Copyright for Librarians" is now live. "Copyright for Librarians" is an
online, open access curriculum on copyright law, developed in conjunction
with eIFL.net (Electronic Information for Libraries). The following press
release has more information about the goals of the curriculum, the areas it
addresses, and where to find it online.

Congratulations to Berkman Center faculty director William Fisher, his team,
and his collaborators at eIFL.net on their creation of this valuable new
resource.

As always, we welcome your feedback.

Seth Young
Communications
Berkman Center for Internet & Society
Harvard University

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************

*Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society and eIFL.net Launch
“Copyright for Librarians,” an Online Open Curriculum on Copyright Law*

*March 24, 2010 - Cambridge, Mass., and Rome, Italy - *The Berkman Center
for Internet & Society at Harvard University today announced the launch of a
new online, open access curriculum, “Copyright for Librarians” (
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/copyrightforlibrarians/), developed in
conjunction with eIFL.net. “Copyright for Librarians” aims to inform
librarians about copyright law in general, as well as the aspects of
copyright law that most affect libraries, especially those in developing and
transition countries.

 “Copyright law directly affects library services providing access to
learning resources, scientific and research information,” said Rima Kupryte,
Director eIFL.net. “Everyday librarians are managing information and
responding to requests from students, academics, and members of the public.
They are well placed to provide practical advice on topical
copyright-related issues. This curriculum, which includes modules on the
scope of copyright law, exceptions and limitations and managing rights,
provides librarians from around the world with an opportunity to understand
this important area of law.”

“Librarians and their professional organisations play key roles in shaping
national and international copyright policy and in protecting and promoting
access to knowledge,” said William Fisher, faculty director of the Berkman
Center for Internet & Society, “eIFL.net has created a crucial network of
librarians in developing and transition countries.  It is essential that the
members of that network have the fullest possible understanding, not just of
the current copyright laws, but also of the ways in which those laws could
and should be interpreted and modified in the future.  We hope that this
curriculum will help to advance that understanding.”

“Maximising access to educational and learning materials is critical for
development in Africa,” said Benson Njobvu, University of Zambia. “Teaching
students about legal information issues enhances the role of the librarian,
preparing the next generation for a professional career in the digital age.
We aim to produce librarians who will become well-informed advocates for
access to knowledge. “Copyright for Librarians” is a valuable new resource
that will help us to achieve our goal.”

The course materials of “Copyright for Librarians” -- nine modules organised
into five different levels -- can be used as the basis for a self-taught
course, a traditional classroom-based course, or as a distance-learning
course. For more information and access to the course materials, visit: *
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/copyrightforlibrarians/*

eIFL.net is grateful to the Ford Foundation for their support of the
development of “Copyright for Librarians.”

*Further information:*

Rima Kupryte, Director
eIFL.net
Piazza Mastai 9
00153 Rome, Italy
Tel: +(39)(06)5807216/17
E-mail: info at eifl.net
http://www.eifl.net/

Seth Young
Communications
Berkman Center for Internet & Society
Harvard University
Tel: +1.617.384.9135
E-mail: syoung at cyber.law.harvard.edu
http://cyber.law.harvard.edu

*Notes for Editors*

*eIFL.net* is an independent non-profit organization with a global network
spanning 46 developing ad transition countries and thousands of libraries.
eIFL.net brings access to knowledge to library users in developing and
transition countries by building capacity, supporting advocacy and helping
to introduce new services for the user, as well as affordable access to
e-resources.

*About the Berkman Center for Internet & Society*
The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University is a
research program founded to explore cyberspace, share in its study, and help
pioneer its development. Founded in 1997, through a generous gift from Jack
N. and Lillian R. Berkman, the Center is home to an ever-growing community
of faculty, fellows, staff, and affiliates working on projects that span the
broad range of intersections between cyberspace, technology, and society.
More information can be found at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu.

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