Digital Libraries
Collaborative Electronic Reviews
Department of Library Science and Instructional Technology
Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven CT

LSC 551-70
Fall 1999

Reviews by:
Karen Ball
Gayle Bogel
Lisa Brenner
Deborah Coretto
Sue Crego
Marilyn Geiger
Mark Gore
Dawn Higginson
Eric Jones
Dianne Lyons
Kathleen Marszycki
Robert Murphy
Kris Piecyk
Jodi Stacy
Amanda Timolat

Ackerman, Mark. (1994) Providing Social Interaction in the Digital Library

Reviewed by Amanda Timolat

The article, "Providing Social Interaction in the Digital Library" by Mark Ackerman, addresses the issue of the social constructs of the traditional library and how this function of the library will be continued within the digital library structure. This article from 1994, but I feel that it still is applicable to the current issues surrounding digital libraries. There are some valid points made regarding the necessity in retaining the library as an institution in which one is able to interact with others for socialization purposes as well to meet their information seeking needs.

The article very briefly covers the concept of the digital library as the ideal. The perfect situation involving unlimited access to materials, infinite copies, instantaneous retrieval, locational convenience, and superior preservation of materials. Though the digital library as a replacement or even a supplement to the traditional library is plagued by many other problems, they are not addressed in this article.

The issue that Ackerman addresses is that of the benefits of social interaction in an information environment. Four areas of positive social interaction are discussed. The first being the necessity of the presence of an information professional. An information seeker may not know what to know. The idea in this is that it is often the easiest and most productive for a person to ask another person, "since interaction can refine questions and tailor answers".

The second benefit of social interaction is that it promotes informal information gathering. Informal information can be anything form of unofficial information including personal correspondences and technical fixes for specific problems. Ackerman claims the for the most part people are the only source of this kind of information (this is written at the commencement of the WWW) and that digital libraries could as well serve this purpose.

The third point regarding the importance of social interaction in the traditional library is that often information seekers have highly specific interests and needs. Again he presses the point that it is easier and simpler to turn to others for information. He sites a study from the MIT Press by T. Allen, "Managing the Flow of Technology" in which research and development engineers frequently referred to colleagues for information that was considered necessary. Thus illustrating the significant role that the exchange between people can have upon the progression of information.

The fourth point that is made is the socializing function of the library. Specifically the situation of an educational library is cited. The library within the educational system is often used as a co-learning place, as well as a scene for occurrences of casual meetings and interactions. Additionally the library is used as a site for coordinated social programs. Ackerman acknowledges that these social functions are a by product of the library¹s information purposes, but they are useful functions that contribute to an informed life.

After the a brief discussion of these four points Ackerman continues on to discuss a software program call the Café ConstructionKit, which is essentially software which enables users to have access to chat systems, bulletin boards and e-mail. This is obviously an outdated area of this article. Chatrooms, bulletin boards, e-mail, and discussion groups and widely used and readily available for free to anyone with knowledge of web design to place on their web pages. Ackerman claims that this software package could enhance the functionality and solve the issues regarding diminished social interactions of a digital library.

Looking beyond the outdated conclusions and information, the main issue within this article is that the digital library formula should not overlook the importance of the social functions of the traditional library. That aspect of a digital library is still a viable subject in the design and implementation of the digital library.

References

Ackerman, Mark. (1994) Providing Social Interaction in the Digital Library http://www.csdl.tamu.eud/DL94/position/ackerman.html

Threaded discussion question:

How important is the social interaction aspect of the digital library. Is it enough to have an e-mail response (assuming that most DLs do) or might it be a necessary component of some digital library to have hours in which synchronous interaction with an information professional is available for assistance?

Finding Your Way Out of the Copyright Maze

The paper "Finding Your Way Out of the Copyright Maze" by Lesley Ellen Harris, addresses applying as well as complying with, laws to a library situation. She is addressing both the issue of copyright in a traditional library and to within that traditional library structure in the digital library. The theme of this paper is that a library must make deliberate steps to make itself aware of copyright issues and potential violations that would be of concern to the library. Harris explains that a library should adopt a copyright policy to help identify copyright problems and to provide solutions.

There are 15 considerations or steps that are suggested to follow in creating a copyright policy:

1. Appoint a copyright officer; the purpose of this step is essentially have one person who is able to maintain an awareness of all of the copyright related activities in order to cut down on the copyright related overlap between other members of the organization.

2. Arrange access to a copyright lawyer; because of the nature of the library it is important to have access to a copyright lawyer who is familiar with the types of activities in a library. Harris suggests that, due to financial constraints, the library keeps track of questions, and at various time intervals to consult the lawyer and keep track of the answers. In this way the formation of part of a copyright policy or a guide to copyright issues with in the library can come about in a fairly simple manner.

3. Understand basic copyright principles; in understanding the basic copyright laws of your country, one should be able to apply the principles to the various media used in the library.

4. Be aware of how copyright applies to the Internet and CD ROMs; as the digital media evolves there are questions arising as to how copyright laws apply to the Internet and CD ROMs or digital libraries. At this time it is generally agreed that the current copyright laws apply to digital media. There are though court cases and studies occurring to determine how copyright laws should apply to digital media and or whether there need to be new ones created. It is therefore necessary to follow these issues through relevant publications and associations.

5. Understanding permissions procedures and the CCC¹s role; if you are able to understand the basic copyright law principles, you should be able to gain an awareness of when copyright permissions are necessary. If you should require a copyright permission, it is necessary to contact the copyright holder or his or her representative. In the United States the Copyright Clearance Center is a copyright collective which allows one-stop permissions clearance for a large amount of materials around the world. The CCC also has current information about copyright and how to obtain permissions for other works at their web site; http://www.copyright.com.

6. Start a shelf for reference materials on copyright law; this is beneficial to provide copyright resource materials to other librarians. There are basic books on copyright law for the average person, as well as specific books for the librarian on copyright law. Harris recommends the books: Growing Pains: Adapting Copyright for Libraries, Education and Society as well as The Copyright & New Media Law Newsletter: For Librarians & Information Specialists.

7. Use copyright information on the Net; there are some very useful Web sites and discussion groups on the Internet. Some informational listservs are; Lib-License and Cni-copyright. The web site ( http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright )of the United States Copyright Office is a helpful resource covering copyright basics including from what and who are protected to library uses of copyright materials as well as a FAQ section.

8. Understand international copyright laws; this is important because there is no sole international copyright law. Since each country¹s law varies somewhat, the law that applies is the one where the work is being used. Essentially you only need to understand the copyright laws in the country that you work. However, Internet laws are not as clear since it is not always known where the work is being used. There are currently court cases considering these issues.

9. Keep updated on revisions to the copyright law; due to recent and current court cases occurring that may have an impact on copyright materials, it is important to keep yourself aware of any changes that may occur in copyright laws in your country.

10. Attend seminars on copyright; Harris stresses the point that there is much to be learned about copyright and that seminars are a great place to gain such information and to have specific questions answered as well as learn from the problems of others at the seminar.

11. Continuously educate others in your workplace; a good way to do this is to host a discussion group to discuss copyright in your workplace. This is another way that you can learn more about copyright issues from others, additionally having a guest speaker can also be beneficial to the learning experience, such as a copyright lawyer.

12. Learn about negotiating licensing agreements; due to the popularity of CDs, databases and the Internet, licensing agreements are becoming more prominent and a routine part of a library procedure. The licensing agreement is a permission agreement to use a certain content. The licensing contract contains the circumstances that the content owner and user/purchaser agree upon for the use of the specified content in a digital environment, on CD or on the Internet. Often librarians must negotiate agreements with out the assistance of a lawyer due to financial limitations. In such a case the librarian needs to be familiar with the nature of the licensing content. For any licensing situation, you must be aware of your own perspectives and goals as well as those of the other party, and tailor your negotiations to the particular circumstances. Harris notes that it is a good idea to consult with a lawyer before signing an agreement.

13. Keep careful records; keeping records of all licensing and permission agreements is essential as points of reference to questions regarding usage of the copyrighted materials that may arise in the future.

14. Create a separate e-mail and Internet policy; because of the nature of the Internet there will be many users and it is helpful to have a policy to cover such usage to avoid copyright problems. The policy should deal with important legal, ethical and practical matters dealing with e-mail and the Internet.

15. Consider privacy policies; though privacy policies are not considered a copyright issue, patrons may have concern about information that is accumulated about them while they access your web site. A privacy policy can help to alleviate concerns about the privacy of patron users.

In summary, this paper gives a basic guideline as to how a concise copyright policy can be forms in a library. Harris gives some web addresses to some resources that can help an institution in assembling a copyright policy and some ideas as to how this can be done in the least a fairly non-disruptive manner.

References:

Harris, Lesley Ellen. (1998) Finding Your Way Out of the Copyright Maze. Computers in Libraries. : http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/jun98/story1.htm.