Table of Contents

1. Fair Use & Copyright: Kenneth D. Crews to Speak at Stanford
2. Call for Papers

What is a copyright? What works are governed by copyright? Why do we have copyright law? What is a work in the public domain? As an academic author, what do I do with regard to copyright? What is fair use? When is copying allowed by fair use provisions of the law? How can I reference the copyright owner of digital works? What if I want more information?

These are some of the more frequently asked questions about copyright and fair use, increasingly controversial and hotly-debated issues which are gaining a great deal of attention on college and university campuses throughout the nation. To help in answering these and many other questions on the topic, Stanford University Libraries will be hosting a talk to be given on Thursday, December 12, 1996 (Stauffer Auditorium, Hoover Complex: 4:00-5:30 p.m.) by Kenneth D. Crews, Associate Professor in the Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis and in the IU School of Library and Information Science. Professor Crews is also Director of the Copyright Management Center at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, and is a nationally-regarded expert on the subjects of copyright and fair use.

For faculty and students, copyright has become an unavoidable element of innovative teaching and research, as new technologies allow the rapid reproduction and dissemination of protected works. But the message of copyright is not entirely a burden. Through a careful examination of the flexibility of the law may be found opportunities for the application of legal principles to the advantage of the education and research mission. The law also provides protection for members of academe who create new software, multimedia works, and other innovations.

Copyright is, however, an increasingly complex burden for librarians, who strive to deliver optimal services, but who find that the uncertainties and the limitations under the law too often constrain the implementation of new technologies and the expansion of new services. All those whose research, work or study brings them into close contact with the issues of copyright and fair use will find Professor Crews' talk thought-provoking and enlightening.

Those who can't wait until December 12 to hear the answers to the basic questions may browse the World Wide Web at http://fairuse.stanford.edu/. Here, Stanford University Libraries & Academic Information Resources, in collaboration with the Council on Library Resources and FindLaw Internet Legal Resources, are sponsors of the Copyright & Fair Use site, where answers to the questions above, as well as a wealth of related material, may be found.

Kenneth Crews is an Associate Professor in the Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis and in the IU School of Library and Information Science. He is also Director of the Copyright Management Center at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis. Professor Crews brings a variety of academic and professional experiences to his diverse duties at the university. He earned his undergraduate degree in history from Northwestern University and received his law degree from Washington University in St. Louis. He moved to Los Angeles to begin the practice of general business and corporate law, primarily for the entertainment industry. His legal career extended from 1980 to 1990. During those years, Crews returned to graduate school and he earned his M.L.S. and Ph.D. degrees from UCLA's School of Library and Information Science.

In 1990 Kenneth Crews began his academic career as an Associate Professor of Business Law at San Jose State University in San Jose, California. Professor Crews' principal research interest has been the relationship of copyright law to the needs of higher education. His doctoral dissertation analyzed copyright policies from universities throughout the United States. That work received the annual dissertation awards from the Association of College and Research Libraries and the Association for the Study of Higher Education. The work also became the foundation of Professor Crews' most recent book, Copyright, Fair Use, and the Challenge for Universities: Promoting the Progress of Higher Education, published by The University of Chicago Press in October, 1993. His publications have appeared in a wide range of law and library journals, and Professor Crews is a frequent speaker at conferences of many types and in many locations, whenever copyright and fair use are critical issues.

Professor Crews is also a regular participant in the Conference on Fair Use, sponsored by the National Information Infrastructure Task Force. That conference meets regularly in Washington, D.C. to negotiate with diverse stakeholders on the subject of fair use in higher education and libraries. He has been a consultant to colleges, universities, and libraries on copyright issues.

Publications by Professor Crews include Fair Use of Copyrighted Works: A Crucial Element in Educating America. Seal Beach, CA: CSU Chancellor's Office, 1995, and Copyright, Fair Use, and the Challenge for Universities: Promoting the Progress of Higher Education. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.

For a complete listing of other publications including articles and essays go to the Copyright Management Center's web page at http://www.iupui.edu/it/copyinfo/home.html#cmc_resources and use the link to About the CMC Director (http://www.iupui.edu/it/copyinfo/bio.html).

--Sarah Williamson, Director of Communications

The Research and Statistics Committee of the Management of Public Services Section of RASD is sponsoring its third annual Reference Research Forum at the 1997 American Library Association Annual Conference in San Francisco, June 26 - July 3, 1997.

This is an opportunity to present and discuss your research project covering the broad area of reference services. Both completed research and research in progress will be considered. Some suggested areas include:

• Organizational Structure and Personnel
• Electronic Services
• User Behavior
• Reference Effectiveness

The criteria for selection are:

• Significance of the study for improving the quality of reference service
• Quality and creativity of the methodology
• Potential of the research to fill a gap in reference knowledge or to build on previous studies
• Previously published research or research accepted by December 1, 1996 for publication will not be eligible

Please submit a one-page proposal by Decmeber 1, 1996. Notification of acceptance will be made by March 15, 1997. Submissions must consist of two pages. On the first page please list your name(s), title(s), and institutional affiliation(s). The second page should not show your name or any personal information. Instead, include title, problem statement, description of methodology, and an explanation of significance. Electronic submissions must also be delivered in two parts. Please send submissions to:

-- submitted by Lisa Krauss