Copyright for Libraries: ALA Resources and Advocacy

A list of publications on copyright available from libraries across the country and around the world.

Developed by Michael Brewer and the Copyright Advisory Subcommittee of the ALA Public Policy and Advocacy Office (then called the Office for Information Technology Policy, a part of PPA's predecessor the ALA Washington Office), the ALA Copyright Tools were created to educate librarians, educators and others about copyright.

ALA has actively advocated -- and continues to fight in Congress and the courts – to strike a balance in copyright law. This balance -- between incentivizing creativity with exclusive rights and affording all people the ability to access and use copyrighted works to create new works – is what the Framers contemplated when they included a clause in the Constitution defining the overarching purpose of copyright: “to promote progress in science and useful arts.” Today, as libraries transform for the 21st century, they seek to honor and implement the Framers’ vision by actively working for law and policy that will bring the full benefits of the digital age to all people everywhere.

An article written by the former Executive Director of ALA's Washington Office on why librarians should keep up to date on copyright.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) became effective in October 2000 . This landmark legislation updated U.S. copyright law to meet the demands of the Digital Age and to conform U.S. law to the requirements of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and treaties that the U.S. signed in 1996.

Digital rights management (DRM) technology controls how digital information resources, including media, can be accessed, copied, distributed, reformatted, or otherwise changed. These software and hardware controls are usually embedded in the work or device, and can be protection schemes as basic as password protection.