Copyright in the Stacks: The Chilling Effects of Unclear Copyright Interpretations in the Canadian Academic Library

Presented at the Annual Conference of the Canadian Political Science Association, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, May 27, 2014

The Canadian academic library is often seen as a vibrant place where the creation and sharing of knowledge plays a pivotal role in the intellectual life of the University. However this longstanding tradition is slowing being eroded by changes in copyright legislation and through infringement claims from content creators. Libraries are increasingly being placed in situations where they are expected to provide access to licensed material without clear ideas on what acceptable terms of use accompany those materials. Due to this lack of clarity Libraries are rescinding key services and being forced to spend ever increasing amounts to ensure proper licensing fees and usage rights are established. This paper will describe the current landscape surrounding this phenomenon and shed light on the chilling effects of these unclear interpretations. These results will be then be contrasted against the gains that Libraries have been making on behalf of their users in terms of advocacy and education in alternative forms of copyright.