| Abstract: | ABSTRACT The electronic distribution of closed reserve readings promises service and efficiency enhancements for circulation departments. However, complicated copyright issues are raised by such systems. In traditional reserve, section 107-fair use reproduction-has been used to defend photocopying of reserve readings for distribution to students. But in an electronic environment text is not only reproduced, but transmitted and displayed. While the Copyright Act assigns transmission and display privileges to rightsholders, fair use exemptions are given to non-profit educational institutions. This article examines sections 107, 109, and 110 of the Copyright Act in relation to the electronic distribution of reserve readings and fair use. It concludes that, when taken as a whole, copyright dramatically limits the conditions under which fair use may be applied in a simultaneous-user system displaying readings off-site. |
