Author: jessamyn

copyright renewal tool – cites and insights

Posted on by jessamyn

Go get the latest Cites and Insights. In it you will find many wonderful things including good reporting on the INDUCE Act, some thoughts on “dead media” and this nifty tool to at least help you ascertain whether US copyright has been renewed for a book or not.

This form searches the U. S. copyright renewal records. Any book published during the years 1923-1963 which is found in this file is still under copyright, as are all books published after 1964 (although until 1989 they still had to have proper notice and registration). Books published before 1923, or before Jan. 1, 1964 and not renewed, are out of copyright. This file does not contain listings for music, movies, or periodicals.

some bad pending legislation

Posted on by jessamyn

While we’re on the subject, let’s talk about some bad pending legislation that could affect libraries, privacy or access to information

  • The INDUCE Act – criminalizing copyright violating software/hardware [bill/commentary]
  • new FOIA exemptions [commentary]
  • Family Movie Act – allowing software censoring of DVDs without copyright violations [news article]
  • CAPPSII – profiling passengers [eff info]
  • US v. Councilman – email privacy rehearing sought [news article]
  • various SPY acts [commentary]

There is some good news, however, section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act will “sunset” a scant fifteen months from now along with many other parts of the USAPA.

librarian writers, advice from someone who knows

Posted on by jessamyn

Writing tires me out lately. In addition to my job at the library, I’ve been cranking out one or two articles a month for various publications. You saw the link to the WebJunction article a few days back. I also wrote a very basic “My First Library Web Site” article for the Vermont Library Association [not online] and a piece on the USA PATRIOT Act for Clamor Magazine [not on their site but my local copy is here]. Many librarians are librarian-writers. Marylaine Block who maintains Ex Libris has published a long essay by Steven Bell called What Works for Me: 10 Tips for Getting Published. Well worth a leisurely read.

a word about well-covered ideas, or what I might refer to as “done to death” or “jumping on the bandwagon” ideas. You know them – information literacy, blogging in the library, digitization projects, virtual reference. I don’t think these are off limits, but you need to bring a different perspective to any of these topics. nmrtwriter