Academic Librarianship in the 21st Century

Librarians have been champions of the fair use rights of the American public since well before those rights were actually codified by section 107 of federal copyright law. However, in recent years many librarians and other educators have been increasingly hesitant to use materials in an educational setting, fearful of attracting the notice of litigious publishers, media companies, and other content owners. Campuses’ legal representation have only increased this feeling of malaise, taking a better safe than sorry stance on fair use of intellectual property. This book provides an overview of current trends, legislation and litigation related to fair use of intellectual property and its impacts on academic libraries across the United States.