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September 25, 2008
Curling Up with a Great Print-OutCopyright
, Libraries
A wonderful thing about a book, in contrast to a computer screen, is that you can take it to bed with you. Daniel J. Boorstin
Fear not, Dr. Boorstin. Despite the fact that electronic book readers and portable, handheld devices of increasing sophistication can go to bed with you, most people still prefer the old fashioned book.
In fact, in a bit of technological irony, the same year that the iPhone was named Time Magazine's Invention of the Year, one of the other leading vote-getters was the Espresso Book Machine, a modern marvel that delivers print and bound books on demand in less than ten minutes.
Now, the Shapiro Library at the University of Michigan has an Espresso Book Machine of its own.
Staff there are getting ready to bring the unit online next week, but the buzz has already begun.
The future, it seems, is here, and it is very cool.
The library will be able to serve up copies of out-of-copyright books from its own digitized collection, along with thousands of titles from the Open Content Alliance, the Internet Archive (including the Biodiversity Heritage Library) and other digital sources. That's well over 2 million books available to be printed out for about ten bucks each.
Sure, many are likely available for loan (for free) just a few floors up from the book printer, but many others, due to condition, age or location, likely are not. You also can't scribble in the margins of the library copy, so folks addicted to highlighters and marginalia are relieved.
But note the phrase "out-of-copyright" two paragraphs above. The shiney new book printer and its handlers can't skirt copyright, so a whole host of books must still be acquired one of the old fashioned ways.
But is that enough to kill the thrill? Would you find a print-on-demand service a useful thing, even if you can't get anything newer than the 1920s?
Of course, if you've got a hankering for historical information, check out the National Agricultural Library Digital Repository. We can't print and bind what's there for you, but pull 'em up on your new smartphone or PDA, and you can still take 'em to bed.
Posted by Mary Ann Leonard
Added to Copyright and Libraries on September 25, 2008
EST | Permalink
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This blog does not represent official communications from the National Agricultural Library, the Agricultural Research Service or the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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January 11, 2008
Do You Know Where Your Photos Are?Art, Artifacts and Photos
, Copyright
 Imagine you're sitting at home watching a football game on television and then, as the game heads into commercial break, you see a pooch that looks very familiar. I mean very familiar. As in, you could look down and see him chewing your shoes at that very moment familiar.
Apparently, that's what happened to Tracey Gaughran-Perez, who contends that a picture of her pug Truman, appropriately outfitted for the holiday season, wound up on an NFL telecast on Fox.
The Washington Post picked up the story this past Wednesday, and with it, gave us a few more examples of folks whose personal photos allegedly ended up in commercial enterprises without their permission: a Texas teen who found herself starring in an ad campaign, a Web designer whose photo made its way to a television skit, a stay-at-home dad who shot of his daughter ended up in an online magazine.
In all cases, the photographers say their images were used without their permission, or were used in ways that violated the license they assigned the work. In turn, the companies implicated have either removed the offending photos, negotiated payment for their use, or lawyered-up. One of the cases cited is still pending in the courts.
When I read stories like this, I process them on two levels -- the personal and the professional.
Personally, I wonder if this could happen to me. Not likely, I think. What are the odds? But then, of course, I'm sure those whose photos were used would have said the same thing just a year ago. Statistics provide comfort only until you're the one in the proverbial million. Best to review the rights associated with photo-sharing sites before uploading my pics.
Professionally, I start regaling those around me about copyright and fair use and public domain. Fortunately, as a librarian I know there are places to go to learn about what's what with intellectual property and copyright. Among the best are: Of course, let's not forget that sometimes talking with a qualified attorney really is the best thing, so we've got that too.
But if all you're looking for are fresh images for your blog or photos to support your science project, don't go off and steal from Flickr. Instead, check out the image galleries available from Uncle Sam, or, for ag-specific images, those NAL has pulled together.
"Copyright protection...is not available for any work of the United States Government," (17 USC ยง 105), so most of the photos you'll find through those links are in the public domain and may be freely used. However, since some of those images might still be protected by license, please do your part and thoroughly read the disclaimers on each site before use. We'd hate to see you featured in a follow-up story in the Post, or worse, this blog. I don't think I could resist saying, "I told you so."
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