Public Roundtables on Copyright Exceptions for Libraries/Archives

["Miriam M. Nisbet" <mnisbet@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

*** Please circulate widely - short deadline ***



Public Roundtables on March 8 and 16, 2006, on Copyright Exceptions for
Libraries And Archives



The Library of Congress last year convened a "Section 108 Study Group"
to prepare findings and make recommendations to the Librarian of
Congress by mid-2006 for possible alterations to the copyright law that
reflect current technologies.  The group is named after the section of
the U.S. Copyright Act that provides certain exceptions for libraries
and archives.  Several representatives of the library community are
members of the Study Group.



The Study Group is reaching out to the library, archives, rights-holder,
and creative communities for input on recommendations for revising the
current library and archives exceptions.  As part of that process, the
Study Group will host two days of roundtables in 2006 for interested
parties to offer suggestions and comments on how best to revise these
exceptions for the digital era.



Where & when:



March 8 (Wednesday) in Los Angeles, California, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00
p.m. P.S.T.- University of California-Los Angeles School of Law, Room
1314, Los Angeles, CA 90095.



March 16 (Thursday) in Washington, D.C., from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
E.S.T. - Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2237, Washington, D.C.
20515



How to participate:



Requests to participate in either roundtable must be received by the
Section 108 Study Group by 5:00 p.m. E.S.T. on February 24, 2006.



Additional information about the Roundtables is available in the Federal
Register on February 15, 2006
http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/WOissues/copyrightb/copyright.htm#links
and on the Section 108 Study Group website, www.loc.gov/section108.  For
those who cannot participate in person, comments may be submitted to the
Study Group directly via the website.  Members of the public may attend
the Roundtables even if they do not intend to speak on particular
issues.



What are the issues?



Section 108 of the Copyright Act permits libraries and archives to make
certain uses of copyrighted materials in order to serve the public and
ensure the availability of works over time.  Among other things, section
108 allows libraries and archives to make copies in specified instances
for preservation, replacement and patron use.  These provisions were
drafted with analog materials in mind, and therefore do not adequately
address many of the issues unique to digital media, either from the
perspective of rights-holders or libraries and archives.



The March roundtables will address four general issues:



(1)     eligibility for the section 108 exceptions,

(2)     proposal to amend subsections 108(b) and (c) to allow access
outside the premises in limited circumstances,

(3)     proposal for a new exception for preservation-only/restricted
access copying,

(4)     proposal for a new exception for the preservation of websites.



Background information and a more detailed discussion of the issues can
be found in the document titled "Information for the March 2006 Public
Roundtables and Request for Written Comments"
http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/WOissues/copyrightb/copyright.htm#links.



We urge you to read this background document in order to obtain a full
understanding of the issues surrounding the topics to be discussed and
to provide appropriate input through written comments or participation
in the roundtable discussions.  Other general topics pertaining to
Section 108 exceptions - such as making copies upon patron request,
interlibrary loan, eReserves and licensing - may be the subject of
future public roundtables.




+++++++++++++
Miriam M. Nisbet
Legislative Counsel
American Library Association
1615 New Hampshire Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20009-2520
mnisbet@xxxxxxxxxxx
Phone: 202-628-8410, x. 8202 or
1-800-941-8478, x. 8202
Fax:  202-628-8419