New group will compile class reading materials from preexisting York resources
Hamid Adem
Assistant News Editor
In light of York’s decision not to sign on with Access Copyright, a new group has been created called The Copyright Support Group, who handles the use of copyrighted materials at York.
Made up of various staff and faculty members from around campus, the group will help perform the function of assisting and arranging materials for classes, while helping resolve any problems that may appear due to changes being made to Canadian copyright legislation.
“The options for you to access different [materials] will expand,” says York’s copyright officer Patricia Lynch.
Outside of Access Copyright’s sphere, York plans to utilize its substantial library archive and budget to support its internal system of copyright management through the Copyright Support Group.
Lynch says York students and faculty can access materials in
different ways instead of being paper bound.
“[Materials] will also be accessible online, which is how students want to learn, and how professors want to teach,” says Lynch.
Without being bound by Access Copyright, Lynch says York can decide if materials will be either paper or electronic, and won’t be locked into one option.
“All this change in legislation will do is open up these options
for students,” says Lynch.
York has been operating outside the Access Copyright agreement since September 1, 2011 with the school officially announcing on May 26, 2012 that it would not be signing the new agreement.
“We started a relationship with [Access Copyright] back in 1994, and you can see how long we’ve been with them, but back in 1994 we had a lot of books, whereas now there is a greater emphasis on e-resources,” says Lynch.
Access Copyright is a not-for-profit organization that collects revenues from the distribution and copying of printed materials and delivers them to the publishers and authors of the works.
York decided it was best to see how Bill C-11 unfolded before making commitment to sign on to Access Copyright, says Lynch.
“I think the decision has opened up the definition of fair dealing, so it does mean we have more options for students to access the materials, and at the same time, decrease the administration load on the instructors,” says Lynch.
The amendments by Bill C-11 that updated the Copyright Act focus on digital forms of media, such as electronic books, music, software, and videos, and issues that pertain to their consumption, distribution, production, and sales. The changes created by Bill C-11 created an atmosphere in which many colleges and universities were unsure if they would resign with Access Copyright.
