Introduction

How to Use this Course

These course materials are designed primarily for librarians in developing and transitional countries. Others are free to consult the materials for any purpose, but the curriculum is aimed primarily at the audience of librarians.

The course materials may be used in three different ways. First, they can provide the basis for a self-taught course. A librarian can read the modules in sequence or focus on the modules that address issues that interest him or her.

Second, the course materials can be used in a traditional classroom-based course. In such a setting, the instructor will determine the pace at which the materials are read and will select topics for discussion. The instructor may find useful the Assignments we have included in the modules, but will likely pose additional questions as well.

Third and finally, the materials can be used in a distance-learning course. An instructor will guide the inquiry, but the librarians taking the course will participate remotely through their computers. To assist the instructors in such settings, we have included a discussion tool, originally developed at the Berkman Center, known as the Rotisserie. A manual explaining to instructors how they might use the Rotisserie is available here. Instructions explaining to students how to sign up for and use the Rotisserie are available here. This system can be used to facilitate conversations among the students concerning the Assignments we have included in each module. Alternatively, an instructor could identify different questions for discussion.

Disclaimer

This course does not offer legal advice. It provides general information concerning the principles that underlie the copyright system, and it indicates how various concrete problems are resolved in most countries. It cannot, however, provide reliable guidance concerning how a court in a specific country would respond to a specific set of facts. Thus, if you find yourself coming close to any of the legal boundaries described in these materials, you should consult a lawyer in your own jurisdiction.

Help Us Improve the Course

We hope to update and refine these materials periodically. To do so, we need help from users. Please let us know if a piece of information contained in a module is incorrect or out of date. If you have suggestions concerning either the content of the modules or the way in which the content is presented, we are eager to hear them. Finally, librarians are strongly encouraged to let us know how the issues addressed in the modules are handled in their home countries; we will try to include that information in future versions.

You can make these suggestions in either of two ways. First, if you would like your suggestion to be available to the public, please click on the "Discussion" tab at the top of the module page to which your suggestion is relevant. Second, you can simply email us at cfl-feedback@cyber.law.harvard.edu.

We look forward to your contributions.

The Berkman team

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Introduction

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