Library
Preus Library
700 College Dr
Decorah, IA 52101
Summer Hours
Mon.-Fri.: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sat.-Sun.: Closed
except Sat., Aug. 31:
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Closed:
July 4
Phone: 563-387-1166
For Researchers
Copyright and Scholarship
The process of research and the creation of scholarship often involve building upon the intellectual property and works of others. Luther expects all community members involved in the creation of academic or scholarly work to adhere to all appropriate copyright laws and ethical standards for reusing the works of others. For creative works, this includes ensuring that reuse of material falls under fair use guidelines, and that all borrowed material is cited appropriately. Please bear in mind the following items:
- Works do not have to display a copyright notice in order to be copyrighted. All works created (published and unpublished) after March 1, 1989 are protected by default and many earlier works also enjoy protection no matter their published status. Determine if it is still covered by copyright.
- Copying materials for personal research purposes is subject to copyright law but may fall under fair use.
- Reuse of audio or video material in multimedia scholarship is covered under copyright law and is subject to fair use.
- In cases where additional rights beyond fair use are required, users should contact the copyright holders for permissions. In many cases permissions may be granted at little or no cost for educational projects.
Creator Rights
When you create a work of scholarship or creative work you automatically have copyrights to that work, even before publication. You should be aware that in the course of publication, many publishers will ask you to transfer copyright of your work, which can limit your future use and sharing of the material. Many publishers are willing to amend their publishing agreements, if you ask. Read up on the SPARC Author Addendum, which allows you to keep essential copyrights in your work.
The Luther Copyright Policy specifically protects the intellectual property rights of its community members except in cases of rights specified by contract, commissioned works, or administrative works.
The Visual Artists Rights Act protects the integrity and attribution of visual arts and artists even when the artists no longer owns the art piece or copyright.
Alternative Publishing Models
If you are concerned about trends in the system of scholarly publishing, including publisher consolidation and exponentially rising subscription costs, you may be interested in learning about alternative publishing systems and processes, including open access and creative commons licenses.
Under the traditional model for scholarly publishing, scholars perform research and give their work to publishers, who reproduce the work and then sell it to libraries. Libraries then provide access to information resources for scholars and students. This model developed over centuries of scholarly communication and the ability to disseminate research was essentially restricted by technological and legal barriers to easy reproduction.
Today, advances in digital technologies have revolutionized the way scholarship is produced, evaluated, distributed, and preserved. These technologies have the potential to spread knowledge father, faster, and cheaper, maximizing the impact of research and benefiting people throughout the world. Some publishers are sticking to the old models of distribution and continue to limit access to those who can afford to pay. However, these technologies enable new models, including digital publishing, digital repositories, and open access journals that can maximize the spread and impact of our scholarship. Likewise, the creative common license is a way for creators to encourage access, use, and reuse of their works.
Open Access
Open access refers to a process whereby copyrighted content is made freely available (often via the Internet) for others to use, reuse, and build upon. In scholarly publishing, the open access movement seeks to make scholarly, peer-reviewed materials freely available to all, without barriers like subscription fees or paywalls. Luther College supports and encourages the Luther community to make creative works available via open access whenever appropriate. Doing so fosters learning and creativity and promotes the free exchange of knowledge and ideas.
For more information about open access:
Open Access, from SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition)
Creative Commons Licenses
Creative Commons is an organization that has created and shared a variety of free, easy-to-use legal tools that give everyone from individual creators to major companies and institutions a simple, standardized way to pre-clear copyrights to their creative work. CC licenses let people easily change their copyright terms from the default of “all rights reserved” to “some rights reserved.”
For more information:
About the Licenses, from Creative Commons
Library
Preus Library
700 College Dr
Decorah, IA 52101
Summer Hours
Mon.-Fri.: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sat.-Sun.: Closed
except Sat., Aug. 31:
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Closed:
July 4
Phone: 563-387-1166