RE: Unauthorized downloading of scientific information

["Rick Anderson" <rickand@unr.edu>]

> Instead of watching over users' shoulders for "suspicious downloading"  
> - potentially a violation of privacy, and one which might just as easily
> pick up the curious innocent along with the pirate - why not actively
> promote the very great many open access resources that are freely
> available?

In answer to Dr. Gorman's question, yes, we have had occasional problems
with users massively and systematically downloading entire runs of online
journals -- in at least one case, the student was burning the journal
content to CDs so that he could take it home to a country known for its
lax copyright law enforcement.

In answer to Heather's post above: There is, of course, no violation of
privacy involved in exercising proper vigilance over the use of licensed
resources on campus computers.  Such vigilance is, in fact, a perfectly
reasonable term in the agreements that govern use of those resources.
"Curious innocence" does not lead a student to systematically download the
contents of 100 sequential journal issues -- though ignorance of copyright
law might, and in that case the library has a legal (and, dare I suggest
it, maybe even moral) obligation to step in and correct the problem.

Active promotion of OA resources is a wonderful thing to do, and is
utterly beside the question that Dr. Gorman posed.

----
Rick Anderson
Dir. of Resource Acquisition
University of Nevada, Reno Libraries
(775) 784-6500 x273
rickand@unr.edu