It’s Getting Hot in Here: Interning at Home, Studying Copyright

So, it is hot today and I’m at home instead of my library internship site. And my apartment doesn’t have air conditioning, and feels more like a hothouse. Yuck. I am sweaty and hot. Today, the Flora Lamson Hewlett Library (GTU Library) at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU)–my digitization internship site–is upgrading to a new system server, and I’ve agreed to work from home, which is always a dangerous proposition–so many distractions, my husband included. Also, my sister is pregnant and will give birth any day now, and I am constantly checking my phone for updates. In favor of clear focus however, I’m all caught up on my Netflix cue, so I’m really ready to go to work, and have decided to do so.

I’m thinking about my internship and realize I’d better get crackin’ on my copyright research for tomorrow. One of my tasks is to do a copyright assessment for the Jesuit Tape Collection (JTC) digitization project. I’ve reviewed and summarized current GTU and GTU Library documentation regarding intellectual property–mostly copyright stuff. However, the JTC involves pre-1972 sound recordings which are particularly troublesome, because although they are not protected by federal copyright law due to a loophole created by historical precedence (thanks piano roll!), state laws have filled the void to varying degrees. And all this is of course, ridiculously complex, apparently even for legal experts.

So I’ve been reading and reading. About copyright law in general, and about pre-1972 sound recordings specifically. Today I hope to add to my report, fleshing out the details that need to be taken into consideration by the GTU Library when planning for streaming the digitized files. I’ve got a few hours of work ahead of me, and tomorrow it will probably be back to planning metadata for compound objects in CONTENTdm. So, I’ll endure the heat, and move forward onto the tangled path that is copyright law, this evening. I’m sure I’ll be reading this stuff for days on my own time. Here are a few good resources:

Besek, J. M. (2009, March).  Copyright and related issues relevant to digital preservation and dissemination of unpublished pre-1972 sound recordings by libraries and archives. Available from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR): Publication 144

Besek, J. M. (2005, December).  Copyright issues relevant to digital preservation and dissemination of pre-1972 commercial sound recordings by libraries and archives. Available from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR): Publication 135

Jaszi, P. & Lewis, N. (2009, September). Protection for pre-1972 sound recordings under state law and its impact on use by nonprofit institutions: A 10-state analysis. Available from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR): Publication 146

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