By Bianca Chan, TLS Staff Writer
For Carleton’s faculty members, contract instructors and staff, copyright is something you probably come into contact with every day. As both users and creators of copyrighted material, knowing the fundamental dos and don’ts – and the less obvious ones – is critical for a successful semester…at least one that is free of legal trouble.
Valerie Critchley is one of Carleton’s resident copyright experts. As a systems librarian, Critchley knows the ins and outs of copyright infringement, protecting your own copyrighted material and common copyright mistakes instructors make. Below is a compilation of her top tips and advice for anyone and everyone in Carleton’s academic community.
- Avoiding a certain resource is the most common mistake. Critchley says she often sees instructors avoiding a particular resource because they think it will violate copyright. Contrary to popular belief, she says almost all resources can be made available for a course. If you’re looking to gain access to resources, try finding exceptions in the Copyright Act, taking advantage of Carleton’s vast digital library and databases, or using materials that are open access or in the public domain. The library will also purchase copyright permissions when necessary.
- To make your life easier, email the library your syllabus. According to Critchley, if an instructor emails the library reserves a copy of their syllabus, the librarians can sort out all of the desired readings for a course and make them available on the instructor’s course page.
- Avoid having your syllabus shared without your permission. Critchley says that commercial sharing sites, such as Course Hero, encourage students to share personal course notes, course outlines and PowerPoint slides in exchange for free access to other courses’ materials. Reduce the chances of getting your intellectual property shared by putting a notice explaining these materials may not be posted without permission.
- Watch out for predatory publishers. Critchley warns of a time a faculty member was concerned he was about to be published in a dubious journal – “and that he was going to be charged thousands of dollars for the privilege!” Predatory publishers typically use deceptive practices to lure authors to publish with them and exploit the open access author-pays business model for their own profit, while conducting little to no peer review on the author’s work. Critchley says in some cases, authors unknowingly sign away their copyright and lose the ability to publish their work with a legitimate publisher. Use thinkchecksubmit.org to double check uncertain publishers before working with them.
- Major developments regarding the creation of scholarly material can help. Online research outlets, including Open Access and Open Educational Resources, are free of restrictions on access (like access tolls) and free of many restrictions on use (like certain copyright restrictions). Critchley adds it is also becoming increasingly more common for authors to negotiate terms with publishers, rather than simply signing over their copyrights.
All in all, Carleton’s Library Reserves are your saving grace. They can help with almost all copyright requests and issues. They will be your best resource for accessing resources, offering advice on copyright, as well as providing expertise.