Copyright changes: Are you prepared?

As of January 2016, the U of M will no longer have a licence with Access Copyright, a licensing collective which represents Canadian publishers and authors.

For U of M faculty and instructors, this means increased diligence in ensuring that the works provided to students are copyright compliant.

It also means that Access Copyright permission statements associated with previously-used course content must be removed. Teaching staff can instead rely on Fair Dealing Guidelines, the growing number of library-licensed electronic resources, freely-available material and course packs.

A range of supports are available:

• For teaching staff who use course packs, the U of M BookStore is the resource for production and copyright expertise.
• For content delivered through UM Learn, help is available through the copyright office. Juliette Nadeau, the copyright officer, offers group information sessions about copyright and how your teaching unit can prepare for the new copyright environment. Sessions are offered for groups of any size, and are usually scheduled for 30 minutes. For convenience, sessions can be presented as part of a regularly-held meeting. To schedule a group session, contact juliette [dot] nadeau [at] umanitoba [dot] ca.
• The U of M Libraries and the copyright office also offer a collaborative service called Copyright Solutions. Tobe Duggan, the Copyright Coordinator, will work with individual instructors one-on-one to go through course materials, confirm copyright compliance, clarify any issues, and, when needed, clear copyright and process permission fees. Contact tobe [dot] duggan [at] umanitoba [dot] ca for one-on-one help, either in person, over the phone, or through email. Teaching Support Librarian Sarah Clark is the primary contact for library resources. Should a work be unavailable for course distribution, Sarah can assist in locating or acquiring an alternative resource. Contact Sarah at sarah [dot] clark [at] umanitoba [dot] ca.

For administrative staff, copyright services are also offered. Would you and your colleagues benefit from an update on copyright? Is the administrative staff in your unit unsure about how to approach the copyright changes on campus? Contact juliette [dot] nadeau [at] umanitoba [dot] ca to schedule an information session.

For the whole U of M community, three Q & A drop-in sessions will be offered to answer copyright questions:

• Tuesday, January 12, 2016, 12 to 1 p.m. at Elizabeth Dafoe Library
• Wednesday, January 27, 2016, 12 to 1 p.m. at Sciences and Technology Library
• Thursday, February 11, 2016, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library

For additional supports, including copyright checklists, visit the Copyright Office website and the U of M’s Fair Dealing Guidelines.