Copyright Corner (October, 2015)

Copyright Corner ULFA News October 2015 more on page 2 1 Having just returned from study leave, I’m indebted to my Library colleagues Sandra Cowan, assisted by Mike Perry, for looking after the copyright advisor portfolio so ably over 2014/15. This special issue of the Newsletter takes a brief look at three topics: students’ preferences for print or digital course readings, Library e-reserve, and the University’s blanket copying licence. Print or Digital? Students’ Format Preferences for Course Readings Over the past several years the Copyright Advisor office has worked with a number of faculty interested in trying out digital alternatives to the traditional print coursepack for distributing course readings in ways that are copyright-compliant. Alternatives have included substituting e-reserve for photocopies on print reserve, placing links and PDFs of permissions-cleared readings in Moodle, and offering students a choice of accessing their course readings in digital format (via e-reserve or Moodle) or in print format (as a print-on-demand request managed by the Bookstore in collaboration with Printing Services). To see if a general picture of students’ overall format preferences was discernable, I recently aggregated three years’ worth of feedback received from 275 students enrolled in 24 U of L courses that used one of the above alternatives.1 All courses were at the undergraduate level in Economics, History, Kinesiology, Management, New Media, Philosophy, Political Science, Public Health, or Women & Gender Studies. Taken as a whole, almost half of the students who provided feedback said if they could choose their readings format in the future they would prefer print, about one quarter would prefer digital format, and about one quarter would prefer the option to choose the format. If we look at format preferences by course level, however, a different pattern emerges. Print was the preferred format for over half of students enrolled in first-year courses. But for students enrolled in second, third, and fourth-year courses, the strongest preference was for digital format, followed by print. Interestingly, the preference to have the option to choose the readings format was strongest for students enrolled in first-year courses. These findings suggest that students’ format preferences for course readings may change as they progress through their university studies, and also that all students’ preferences could be met if the option to choose print or digital was available. Feel free to contact me if you would like to explore what the copyright permissions implications may be for alternatives to printed formats for your course readings. Library E-Reserve You may recall that since Spring 2014 all photocopied course readings submitted for Library Reserve are copyright-cleared by the Copyright Advisor office and placed on E-Reserve. This gives students convenient 24/7 access to the readings in a secure (course passworded) environment. Common permission sources relied on for E-Reserve readings include fair dealing when the readings meet the University’s fair dealing guidelines,2 Library electronic resource licences, open-access publications, and the Works Available Through Internet provision in the Copyright Act.3 The option to place copyright-compliant copies to Print Reserve remains in place.4 Please note that when you submit your E-Reserve requests through the online or downloadable request form5 or via e-mail (copyright@uleth.ca), if you wish the Library to retrieve and scan a specified reading from the Library’s print collections, you can provide the Library call number for the relevant print volume. When your requests are ready for student access, you will be e-mailed a link to the E-Reserve course listing as well as a course password for you to distribute to students in your class. If you’re unsure about the permission status of readings you would like to use in your course, Betsy Greenlees (Copyright Assistant) or I will be happy to assist you. Special Edition U niversity of Lethbridge Faculty Association 2 ULFA News October 2015 Copyright Corner continued… 2 Blanket Licence The University’s Access Copyright blanket licence acquired in mid-2012 expires on December 31, 2015. A study that examined permission sources for Spring 2012 showed the proportion of the University’s course-related copying in coursepacks, Library reserve, and Moodle for which the University actually needed to rely on the blanket licence was in the neighbourhood of 2% of all assessed copying.6 This means that as a permission source, we have actually relied on the blanket licence far less frequently than the University’s fair dealing guidelines, the Library’s many electronic resource licences, and open access/Creative Commons-licensed publications. An official announcement to the University community regarding the non-renewal of the blanket licence is expected shortly. In the meantime, if you are planning to use copied readings (e.g., book chapters, journal articles) outside of the Library’s subscribed online resources for Spring 2016 and other future courses, please get in touch with Betsy or me in the Copyright Advisor office if you would like help in assessing the permission status of your readings and available options for making the readings available to students in convenient and cost-effective ways. Rumi Graham University Copyright Advisor (403) 332-4472 or copyright@uleth.ca Copyright website: www.uleth.ca/copyright 1. For more information about the study, see http://bit.ly/1NxtO1C. 2. The University’s Guidelines for Copying under Fair Dealing are available at: http://bit.ly/1NFXz0n. 3. See the Copyright website FAQ on using Web-accessible content at: http://bit.ly/1OhlbIr. 4. See the Copyright website page on Print Reserve at: http://bit.ly/1ijGhIL. 5. See the Copyright website page on Electronic Reserve at: http://bit.ly/1Ohu70C. 6. An article preprint describing the study is available at: http://bit.ly/1ijGhIL