Copyright literacy and LIS education: analysis of its inclusion in the curricula of master's degree programs
Metadatos
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Elsevier
Materia
Copyright Intellectual property Copyright literacy Library and information science education
Fecha
2022-01-04Referencia bibliográfica
Juan-Carlos Fernández-Molina... [et al.]. Copyright literacy and LIS education: analysis of its inclusion in the curricula of master's degree programs, Heliyon, Volume 8, Issue 1, 2022, e08707, ISSN 2405-8440, [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e08707]
Resumen
The close relationship between copyright laws and the development of library activities has become more intense
and complex in recent years due to the impact of the digital setting. For this reason, librarians must have adequate
knowledge about copyright, whether it be to carry out their own functions and tasks, or to help co-workers and
users as efficiently as possible. The aim of the present paper is to determine the type of copyright instruction
offered, plus its focus and depth, to students of master's programs in library and information studies at today's
outstanding universities in this field. The results show that very few LIS programs provide the minimal training
required for professionals to be copyright literate. Very few courses are dedicated specifically to copyright issues,
as these subjects are usually studied in an excessively generic and superficial manner within broader courses
dedicated to information policy, information ethics, or legal issues regarding information. If we also bear in mind
that most of these courses are elective, not required, the conclusion is that very few LIS graduates attain the
minimal instruction required. The best results are obtained by US and Canadian universities accredited by the
American Library Association (ALA), since copyright issues are included in the list of core competences required
to achieve accreditation. The solution to this problem may lie in two complementary approaches. One would be to
follow the ALA model and the IFLA recommendation and include copyright contents in the LIS curricula
worldwide, and the other would be to provide institutional support for those professionals interested in obtaining
the required training.