CUUL first to adopt Statement of Principles on Copyright

We are delighted to announce that the Consortium of Uganda University Libraries (CUUL) is the first EIFL partner consortium to adopt a Statement of Principles on libraries and copyright.

At its Annual General Meeting in Kampala on 16 March 2012 attended by some fifty participants, Dr Dick Kawooya, School of Information Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA introduced copyright issues and highlighted the role of libraries in promoting access to copyrighted materials especially in the digital age. The presentation was followed by a lively discussion on a range of topics including legal deposit, respecting copyright exceptions and limitations in contracts, interlibrary document supply, and serving persons with disabilities.

“The Principles are relevant in a resource-constrained country such as Uganda because they will help to promote better access to library resources. Librarians will gain a greater appreciation about the role of copyright and barriers to access, enabling them to make more informed decisions when copyright is applied within the library context”, said Ms Judith Nannozi, Librarian, Uganda Martyrs University and EIFL Country Coordinator. “We get to hear little about copyright in library school so when we start to work on the ground in libraries, there is a gap in our knowledge. The adoption of the Statement of Principles by CUUL offers an opportunity for librarians in Uganda to engage in this growing area of importance to librarianship”.

Over the coming months, CUUL will develop a strategy for activities so that members are informed about the library perspective on copyright and access issues, in line with the CUUL mission to strengthen library services to students, staff and other library users.

We look forward to working with CUUL on future developments and activities. Congratulations to CUUL! Learn more about CUUL here.

We recommend that other consortia interested in adopting a position on copyright should check out our template.

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