Copyright is not a new concept. In fact, the framers of the US Constitution included copyright in article 1, section 8 of the Constitution when they wrote, "The Congress shall have Power To ...promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries"
None of those people, however, could ever have imagined what technological changes would occur in the next 250 years that would affect how people share information and challenge how copyright works. The ability to easily copy, download, digitize, mix, mash-up, edit, and all the other options available through technology have all added wrinkles to how copyright is interpreted and enforced. Many believe that copyright law is out of date and in need of revision.
After looking through the guide, library users - both faculty and students - should have a better understanding of copyright and how it impacts them as a member of the academic community.