Syllabus

Syllabus

A complete Syllabus with dates and reading assignments will be posted no later than Sunday, January 17.  The following outlines the content of the course:

I. Introduction

·       What does it mean to be a professional?

·       Why is it imperative for 21^st century librarians to be knowledgeable about and able to apply certain areas of law?  Which?

·       How does the law influence our professional ethics?  How do our professional ethics influence our application of the law?

·       Overview of class structure

II. Studying legal issues

·       Structure of law

·       Reading cases

·       Researching the law

·       Writing about law

III. Copyright

·       What is the point of copyright law?

·       Is it “good” or “bad” for information professionals?

·       What are the major issues for libraries and other information settings?

A. Copyright Basics

B. Exceptions and Fair Use

C. Copyright in the digital arena

D. Licensing

E. Copyright policies

F. Wrap-up

·  How does current state of law mesh with real world situations?

·  How balanced are we?

·  What’s the ethical side of copyright?

·  Any concerns?!  What’s your role?

IV. Intellectual Freedom

·       First Amendment law

·       Protected versus unprotected speech

·       Government regulation of speech

·       Access to information and freedom to read?

·       Other uses of the Internet in library settings

·       The Library as Public Forum

·       IF  policies

·       Guest speaker

V. Privacy

·       Development of a right of privacy

·       Specific laws

·       Library-specific issues

·       Privacy policies