CD-ROM backups (revisited?)

[Kenneth R Irwin <kirwin@wittenberg.EDU>]

Hello folks,

I'm new to this list and I hope this is actually on topic: a brief
discussion of the subject appears in the archives from ca. 1996.

Do many products' licenses allow libraries to make backup copies of
circulating CD-ROM materials? Our library is just beginning to deal with
the issues surrounding circulating CD-ROMs and our director is interested
in pursuing such backups if they are legal.

I'm sure providers would be none to keen on having us replace *lost*
(read: stolen, in most cases) CDs with backups, but what about replacing
damaged CDs. Some get pretty beat up and unusable in circulating.

Any thoughts? (If making such backups is largely illegal -- or even if
it's not-- I'd be interested in hearing (off list, as it's certainly
off-topic) about other libraries' strategies for protecting the discs from
harm.

Thanks,

[/|\]  Ken Irwin  -=-  kirwin@wittenberg.edu  -=-  (937) 327-7594      
|-+-|  Reference/Electronic Resources Librarian                        
[\|/]  Thomas Library, Wittenberg University