----------------------------Original message---------------------------- September 22, 1997: ARLIS/NA Endorses CONFERENCE on FAIR USE JOINT STATEMENT After due consideration and recommendation by the Public Policy Committee, the Executive Board of the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) voted to endorse the CONFERENCE on FAIR USE JOINT STATEMENT. As noted in the ALA press release, "Recognizing its responsibility to meet this need, and to help assure that Fair use and other privileges remain vital in the Information Age, ALA has joined 13 other major national library, scholarly and educational associations in supporting the following statement regarding the CONFU process. Significantly, the statement not only looks back at CONFU, but ahead in outlining a set of precepts and goals that will guide ALA's future efforts in this important and controversial policy arena." < http://www.ala.org/washoff/confu.h tml > Certainly ARLIS/NA is keenly invested in and recognizes the potential benefits to accrue from the development of guidelines. However, for such guidelines to be wholeheartedly embraced they must serve the needs of the society constituency as a whole. It was felt that this could not be said of the CONFU "Proposal for the Educational Fair Use of Digital Images," which ARLIS/NA rejected in April 1997. However, ARLIS/NA believes that this JOINT STATEMENT provides a reasonable foundation upon which to base current and future practices and directions on the uses of copyrighted works in the digital environment. Further, we believe that the STATEMENT's precepts and goals are in keeping with and serve to promote the mission and goals of ARLIS/NA. We applaud and support this worthy effort and trust that this endeavor will provide a forum for productive discussion and debate about these issues in the aftermath of the CONFU process. Katherine Poole & Hinda Sklar Co-Chairs, Public Policy Committee __________ Katherine Poole Rotch Library Visual Collections, M.I.T. 77 Mass. Ave., 7-304 - -------------------------- - -------------------------- 3. Draft of an official endorsement letter: ARLIS/NA Art Libraries Society of North America 4101 Lake Boone Trail, Suite 201 Raleigh, NC 27607 September 22, 1997 Adam Eisgrau, Legislative Counsel American Library Association Washington Office 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Suite 403 Wash., DC 20004 Dear Mr. Eisgrau, After due consideration and upon the recommendation of the Public Policy Committee, the Art Libraries Society of North America, ARLIS/NA, is pleased to offer its official endorsement of the CONFERENCE ON FAIR USE JOINT STATEMENT. Certainly ARLIS/NA is keenly invested in and recognizes the potential benefits to accrue from the development of guidelines. However, for such guidelines to be wholeheartedly embraced they must serve the needs of the society constituency as a whole. It was felt that this could not be said of the CONFU "Proposal for the Educational Fair Use of Digital Images," which ARLIS/NA rejected in April 1997. However, ARLIS/NA believes that the CONFERENCE on FAIR USE JOINT STATEMENT provides a reasonable foundation upon which to base current and future practices and directions on the uses of copyrighted works in the digital environment. Further, we are agreed that the STATEMENT's precepts and goals are in keeping with and serve to promote the mission and goals of ARLIS/NA. We applaud and support this worthy effort and we trust that this endeavor will provide a forum for productive discussion and debate about these issues in the aftermath of the CONFU process. Sincerely, Roger Lawson, President Art Libraries Society of North America National Gallery of Art Library 6th St. & Constitution Ave. NW Washington, DC 20565 Tel.: 202-842-6529 [log in to unmask] _________ Katherine Poole Rotch Library Visual Collections, M.I.T. 77 Mass. Ave., 7-304 Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 1-617-253-7098 [log in to unmask] ------- End of Forwarded Message