Boston Library Consortium Adopts Agreement to Extend Author's Rights

[Liblicense-L Listowner <liblicen@pantheon.yale.edu>]

Of possible interest:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2005 13:04:25 -0400
From: Barbara Preece <bpreece@blc.org>

I thought you would be interested in this initiative by the BLC.

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September 6, 2005
For Immediate Release
For Further Information contact: Barbara Preece (bpreece@blc.org)

Boston Library Consortium, Inc. Adopts Agreement to Extend Author's Rights

The Boston Library Consortium's Board of Directors approved unanimously
the adoption of the "Agreement to Extend Author's Rights," a document that
gives authors and their employing institutions non-exclusive rights to
use, distribute, and reproduce material in electronic digital or print
form in activities connected with the author's academic and professional
activities. The amendment also supports placement of material in
institutional repositories. The agreement, initially developed by MIT, a
Consortium member, is available for downloading at the BLC website:
www.blc.org.

This tool will be used by member libraries to raise author awareness on
their respective campuses. This document, offered as an attachment, will
provide an easy way for authors to secure their rights. The BLC will work
with its members to encourage use of this document.

Board President Cathy Norton notes: "This will show our solidarity with
our authors and help them gain control of their intellectual property
rights in the digital library. The Consortium's adoption of this agreement
demonstrates to libraries and publishers that we care about the output of
our institutions by preserving it at the local level and making it openly
accessible for students and researchers."

The Consortium is an association of 19 academic and research libraries
founded in 1970. Members include: Boston College, Boston Public Library,
Boston University, Brandeis University, Brown University, MIT, Marine
Biological Lab/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Northeastern
University, State Library of Massachusetts, Tufts University, University
of Massachusetts-Amherst, University of Massachusetts Boston, University
of Massachusetts Dartmouth, University of Massachusetts Lowell, and
University of Massachusetts Medical Center, University of Connecticut,
University of New Hampshire, Wellesley College, and Williams College.

Barbara G. Preece
Executive Director
Boston Library Consortium, Inc.
700 Boylston St
Boston, MA 02117
617.262.6244 (phone)
617.262.0163 (fax)
http://www.blc.org