I wanted to thank everyone for taking time to help with my questions. It
has been most interesting, particularly seeing the quandary of wanting to
make the lessons as available as possible and seeing proper citation of
authorship, as Leni and Kathy have experienced. Thanks, too, Elizabeth,
for the background on the group making the request and their association
with the Library of Congress. That certainly makes it easier to support
distribution. It is interesting to see the issues resulting from wider
access and electronic publishing, ironically, the same medium that allows
me to benefit from your wisdom.
Patricia
>
>
>From: "Debbie Abilock" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: RE: Publication of lesson plans
>Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 08:51:51 -0700
>
>
>Elizabeth brings up the value of our common-wealth--for example, work
>funded by the US government, as well as other valuable cultural and
>intellectual resources in the public domain. We all benefit from these,
>create new and interesting materials using them, etc. I want to thank
>the Library of Congress and American Memory staff for supporting the
>work of education and educators by adding to America's "memory."
>
>As part of our themed issue on the common-wealth, David Bollier has
>written an article for the next issue of Knowledge Quest about the
>intellectual commons - I believe it will change the way you teach
>students about citing sources and intellectual property.
>
>Debbie Abilock, Editor
>Knowledge Quest
>http://www.ala.org/aasl/kqweb/index.html
>[log in to unmask]
>
>"I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now
>and live the rest of your life like a champion.'"
> -- Muhammed Ali
>
>Knowledge Quest is devoted to offering substantive information to assist
>building-level library media specialists, supervisors, library
>educators, and other decision makers concerned with the development of
>school library media programs and services. Articles address the
>integration of theory and practice in school librarianship and new
>developments in education, learning theory, and relevant disciplines.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Elizabeth Brown
>Sent: Friday, May 16, 2003 1:56 PM
>Subject: Re: Publication of lesson plans
>
>-------
>
>Learning Page Lessons ARE in the Public Domain. Anyone may
>republish them for money without so much as a credit line. Personally,
>I have less of a problem with the money-making part than with the
>lack of a credit to you for creating them or to the Library of
>Congress, for making them available, funding them, whatever.
>
>Not giving credit to others for their intellectual work is just
>unethical. If these publishers were your students you'd have to fail
>them for this behavior.
>
>There is a rule in the copyright law about "added value" ... for
>example, Matthew Lesko claims copyright on his books. He's they guy that
>gathers government information in print and on the web, repackages it,
>edits it, and re-publishes it, and makes a decent living for himself in
>the process. See <http://www.matthewlesko.com/>. It's pretty easy to
>find his stuff and it is pretty straightforward reading, which may not
>always be said for the originals.
>
>This is one for the lawyers. I would hate to be the one to decide where
>"added value" starts.
>
>Perhaps your requestor would agree to a disclaimer indicating that THIS
>lesson is in the public domain and is also available at http://....
>
>In theory, the government doesn't mind re-distribution of its materials,
>because the good work gets out there without costing additional tax
>money and it encourages private enterprise.
>
>Still they oughta give credit.
>
>Anyway, read your contracts, contact your lawyers, etc. Ask for proper
>citation.
>
>Betty
>
>P.S.
>There's a glitch with the current version of the listserv software that
>may cause reply messages to the list to bounce back to you instead of
>getting posted. One way to keep this from happening is to remove the
>first few lines in the "information from header" section in the
>"original message" part of your reply. The one particularly offending
>line is the one that includes the list's address.
>
>
>
>> Poster: Patricia Solfest <[log in to unmask]>
>> Subject: Publication of lesson plans
>>
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>-------
>>
>> Dear Fellows,
>> I recently received the following request from a person in charge of
>a
>> website which creates lessons for home schools:
>>
>> The Adventure of the American Mind Home School Partner creates online
>> lessons for students in grades 3-12. I really like the breadth of
>your
>> unit and would like to use it as the skelaton of an asynchronous
>online
>> unit. This will be similar to our NC Unit at:
>>
>http://www.aamhomeschool.org/ncunit/9-12/Lessons/LessonsOverview/LessonI
>PartIOv
>> erview.htm . Would this be okay with you?
>>
>> I went to the site and noticed that it claimed copyright on the
>materials
>> published there. Has anyone else received such requests? What
>publication
>> rights does the Library of Congress, or we as lesson creators, retain
>for
>> these lessons? As a govenrment agency, are all of these materials
>"public
>> domain"? I have seen publications that are nearly identical to
>American
>> Memory lessons for sale at conferences and wondered about this. Can
>anyone
>> enlighten me? Thanks.
>> Patricia Solfest
>>
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