Re: Copyright Extension Bill Passes Congress

On Tue, 24 Nov 1998, Albert Henderson <noblestation[_at_]compuserve.com> wrote:
>
> Tyler T. Ochoa <tochoa[_at_]law.whittier.edu> wrote:
> >
> > Although public library collections may have been "decimated," I am
> > not yet convinced it is due to photocopying (the property tax
> > revolution is a more likely cause, in my opinion), and I also am not
> > yet convinced that it is true for academic institutions. The library
> > here, for example, continues to grow in size. There is simply no way
> > of knowing how fast it would have grown if photocopying had never
> > been invented.
>
> I had not heard of the property tax revolution. I thought
> that libraries were exempt from property taxes.

Public libraries (and schools) in California were once FUNDED primarily through property taxes, and they were the best in the nation. Then Prop. 13 slashed property taxes and restricted the ability of government to raise taxes through other means. The result was that funding for schools and libraries was decimated. So it is not surprising that libraries turned to photocopying as a means of substituting for purchases. You seem to assume that reduction in funding was a RESULT of increased photocopying; I contend that the reduction in funding was a CAUSE of increased photocopying. The truth is probably a combination of both.

> Universities report surplus revenue 5 to 20 times what they
> spend on their libraries (including salaries). They would
> rather invest in stocks and real estate than in knowledge.

To what end? You assume that universities are interested in creating wealth solely for its own sake. Why would they do that? They must have a purpose in mind on which to spend all the surplus revenue they are generating. Are you questioning the value of an endowment (investments) to keep the university operating long into the future?

At my own university, I don't see a lot of surplus revenue. We barely manage to break even in most years. We spend lots of money on copies of academic journals just to keep our collections current. I don't see widespread photocopying acting as a substitute for legitimate purchases.

Tyler T. Ochoa
Associate Professor
Whittier Law School
<tochoa[_at_]law.whittier.edu> Received on Wed Nov 25 1998 - 20:30:26 GMT