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Re: Message from Pat Schroeder re: Librarians

>From Adrian Alexander

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 10:03:53 -0600
To: bmeredith@publishers.org
From: Adrian Alexander <alexandera@lindahall.org>
Subject: Fwd: Message from Pat Schroeder re: Librarians 
Cc: James.Williams@colorado.edu, liblicense-l@lists.yale.edu

Ms. Meredith,

Thanks to you and Ms. Schroeder for taking time to respond to criticisms
from the library community regarding the Feb. 7 article in the Post.  
Speaking as someone who is both a librarian and a publisher, however, I
find AAP's response disingenuous at best. It was not just the reporter who
oversimplified the issues here, but quotes attributed to Ms. Schroeder
("they [libraries] give it [journals] to other libraries. They'll give it
to others.") that contributed to a grossly false impression that AAP seems
to be creating; that librarians somehow have no consideration for fair use
(or even copyright) whatsoever and would rather "give" all copyrighted
material away.

We as a profession believe strongly in the fair use exceptions to the 1976
Copyright Act and only wish that some semblance of those exceptions had
been retained in DMCA.  We would like to continue a dialogue with AAP on
this important issue, but public statements such as those made by your
president give the distinct impression that AAP has decided to declare
"war" on us. Dialogue is seldom possible between two parties who are 
at combat with one another.

Sincerely,
Adrian W. Alexander
Exec. Director, Big 12 Plus Libraries Consortium (www.big12plus.org)
Treasurer, BioOne, Inc. (www.bioone.org)

>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2001 18:17:36 -0500
>From: Barbara Meredith <bmeredith@publishers.org>
>To: "'aokerson@pantheon.yale.edu'" <aokerson@pantheon.yale.edu>
>Subject: Message from Pat Schroeder re: Librarians
>
>Ann - Given there has been discussion on the liblicense-l list about the
>2/7 Wash. Post article on Pat Schroeder, I am sending Pat's response to
>you for posting on the list.  Thank you.
>
>Barbara Meredith
>
>_________
>
>We''re a bit surprised at the uproar produced by last wek''s Washington
>Post story in which I talked about the book publishing industry''s
>continuing copyright disputes with the library community.  This is, after
>all, not exactly breaking news.  While publishers and librarians agree and
>work together on any number of issues, including literacy and freedom of
>expression, we have traditionally disagreed over the boundaries of "fair
>use." Anyone who has been following recent legislative and regulatory
>developments knows that these disagreements have become more complex as a
>result of new laws that support publishers'' use of technology to protect
>copyrighted works against online piracy.  Publishers and libraries do not
>see eye-to-eye on a number of issues, particularly key provisions of the
>2-year-old Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
>
>However, as both communities advocate their views before Congress and the
>Copyright Office, we continue to talk with one another in the hope that we
>will be able to reach some workable compromises in the future, as we have
>in the past.  We understand the many problems that libraries face.  New
>solutions and business models are being developed that can provide
>answers.  But until they''re ready, we must do everything we can to
>protect the copyrights of the authors and publishers whose livelihoods
>depend on those rights.
>
>Sincerely,
>Pat Schroeder
>AAP President & CEO

*********************************************
Adrian W. Alexander, Executive Director
Big 12 Plus Libraries Consortium
http://www.big12plus.org
Treasurer, BioOne, Inc.
http://www.bioone.org
EMAIL: alexandera@lindahall.org
"If affirmative action means what I just described, what I'm for, then
I'm for it." -- George W. Bush
**********************************************

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Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"

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Ms. Meredith,<br>
<br>
Thanks to you and Ms. Schroeder for taking time to respond to<br>
criticisms from the library community regarding the Feb. 7 article<br>
in the Post.&nbsp; Speaking as someone who is both a librarian and 
a<br>
publisher, however, I find AAP's response disingenuous at best.<br>
It was not just the reporter who oversimplified the issues here, <br>
but quotes attributed to Ms. Schroeder (&quot;they [libraries] give
it<br>
[journals] to other libraries. They'll give it to others.&quot;) that
contributed<br>
to a grossly false impression that AAP seems to be intent on
creating;<br>
that librarians somehow have no consideration for fair use (or even
copyright)<br>
whatsoever and would rather &quot;give&quot; all copyrighted material
away.&nbsp; We as <br>
a profession believe strongly in the fair use exceptions to the 
1976<br>
Copyright Act and only wish that some semblance of those exceptions<br>
had been retained in DMCA.&nbsp; We would like to continue a dialogue
<br>
with AAP on this important issue, but public statements such as
those<br>
made by your president give the distinct impression that AAP has<br>
decided to declare &quot;war&quot; on us. Dialogue is seldom possible
between two<br>
parties who are at war.<br>
<br>
Sincerely,<br>
Adrian W. Alexander<br>
Exec. Director, Big 12 Plus Libraries Consortium
(<a href="http://www.big12plus.org/" eudora="autourl">www.big12plus.org</a>)<br>
Treasurer, BioOne, Inc.
(<a href="http://www.bioone.org/" eudora="autourl">www</a>.bioone.<a href="http://www.bioone.org/" eudora="autourl">org</a>)<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<blockquote type=cite cite>---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>
Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2001 18:17:36 -0500<br>
From: Barbara Meredith &lt;bmeredith@publishers.org&gt;<br>
To: &quot;'aokerson@pantheon.yale.edu'&quot;
&lt;aokerson@pantheon.yale.edu&gt;<br>
Subject: Message from Pat Schroeder re: Librarians<br>
<br>
Ann - Given there has been discussion on the liblicense-l list about
the<br>
2/7 Wash. Post article on Pat Schroeder, I am sending Pat's response
to<br>
you for posting on the list.&nbsp; Thank you.<br>
<br>
Barbara Meredith <br>
<br>
_________<br>
<br>
We'�re a bit surprised at the uproar produced by last wek'�s
Washington<br>
Post story in which I talked about the book publishing industry'�s<br>
continuing copyright disputes with the library community.&nbsp; This is,
after<br>
all, not exactly breaking news.&nbsp; While publishers and librarians
agree and<br>
work together on any number of issues, including literacy and freedom
of<br>
expression, we have traditionally disagreed over the boundaries of
�fair<br>
use.� Anyone who has been following recent legislative and
regulatory<br>
developments knows that these disagreements have become more complex as
a<br>
result of new laws that support publishers'� use of technology to
protect<br>
copyrighted works against online piracy.&nbsp; Publishers and libraries
do not<br>
see eye-to-eye on a number of issues, particularly key provisions of
the<br>
2-year-old Digital Millennium Copyright Act.<br>
&nbsp;<br>
However, as both communities advocate their views before Congress and
the<br>
Copyright Office, we continue to talk with one another in the hope that
we<br>
will be able to reach some workable compromises in the future, as we
have<br>
in the past.&nbsp; We understand the many problems that libraries
face.&nbsp; New<br>
solutions and business models are being developed that can provide<br>
answers.&nbsp; But until they'�re ready, we must do everything we can
to<br>
protect the copyrights of the authors and publishers whose
livelihoods<br>
depend on those rights.<br>
&nbsp;<br>
Sincerely,<br>
Pat Schroeder<br>
AAP President &amp; CEO </blockquote><br>

*********************************************<br>
Adrian W. Alexander, Executive Director<br>
Big 12 Plus Libraries Consortium<br>
<a href="http://www.big12plus.org/" eudora="autourl">http://www.big12plus.org</a><br>
<i>Treasurer, BioOne, Inc.<br>
<a href="http://www.bioone.org/" eudora="autourl">http://www.bioone.org</a><br>
</i><font color="#800080">EMAIL: alexandera@lindahall.org<br>
</font><font color="#008080"><i>&quot;If affirmative action means what I
just described, what I'm for, then <br>
I'm for it.&quot; -- George W. Bush<br>
</i></font>**********************************************<br>
</html>

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