Re: coursepacks on library reserve

Now that I know that placing textbooks on library reserve is not a violation of copyright, mainly thanks to Laura Gasaway, I have another concern about making coursepacks available for students to check out (and possibly copy) from the Reserve Desk. At the Kennedy School, we have a Course Materials Office that sells coursepacks to students containing photocopied material for which royalties have been paid. The Course Materials Office brings copies of all coursepacks to the library to put on reserve to serve as backup copies in case a student forgets to bring in a coursepack or if a packet is temporarily sold out from the Course Materials Office.

My understanding is that the library is not liable for any copyright violations as long as the photocopy machines carry the warning:

NOTICE: The Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17 U.S. Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The person using this equipment is liable for any infringement.

Am I right or wrong or somewhere in between?

Thanks for your input,

Paula F. Ebbitt
Head of Circulation & Reserves
John F. Kennedy School of Government Library <paula_ebbitt/fs/ksg[_at_]ksg.harvard.edu> Received on Wed Oct 22 1997 - 14:18:57 GMT