4/3/97 Contact: Gary Hunt, Ohio University, 614/593-2709
ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio University will host a series of programs surrounding the theme "Reshaping Scholarly Communications in the Digital Era" in celebration of National Library Week, which runs April 13-19.
Douglas C. Bennett, vice president of the American Council of Learned Societies and an expert on electronic publishing, will deliver the keynote speech for the week at 8 p.m. April 16 in 235 Morton Hall on the Athens campus. In his address, "Reshaping Scholarly Communications in the Digital Era: Challenges of Technology, Copyright and Organization," Bennett will outline his vision of the future and discuss the challenges faced in making the digital revolution serve the educational and research needs of the university community.
As chief operating officer of the American Council of Learned Societies, Bennett is involved in shaping national policy on issues of intellectual property on the Internet. He has testified before Congress on the proposed National Information Infrastructure Copyright Protection Act, and last fall he represented scholars at the recent World Intellectual Property Organization meetings in Geneva, where new international copyright agreements on digital media were negotiated.
Ohio University events in observance of National Library Week begin with the annual Faculty Authors and Performers Reception, hosted by the Friends of the Libraries of Ohio University, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 15 in 319 Alden Library. The event honors faculty who have published books, given public performances or mounted exhibitions of their creative work during the past year. Alonzo Hamby, distinguished professor of history and author of Man of the People: A Life of Harry S. Truman, will give remarks during the reception.
The week's observance will be capped by a symposium titled "Entertainers vs. Educators: The Battle Over Fair Use' on the Net" from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. April 17 in 319 Alden Library. Bennett will moderate two panel discussions on issues of copyright, ownership of information and fair use on the Internet.
The first group will address issues from the viewpoint of the multi-billion-dollar entertainment industry. Panelists include four faculty from the School of Telecommunications: Assistant Professor Duncan Brown, Associate Professor Charles "Buzz" Clift, and Professors Joseph Slade and Bill Miller.
A second panel of librarians and university administrators will discuss copyright in the context of the emerging "virtual university." Topics include the impact of proposed changes in copyright legislation on academic libraries, university liability for copyright infringement on the Internet, applying fair use to multimedia, and copyright issues in distance learning. Panelists are Ohio University-Lancaster Library Director Susan Phillips; Richard Post, assistant dean of libraries for Instructional Media and Technology Services; Nicolette Dioguardi, associate director of the Office of Legal Affairs; and Thomas Shostak, dean of Lifelong Learning.
All National Library Week events are free and open to the public. Event sponsors include the Ohio University Libraries, the Kennedy Lecture Series, the Ohio University Employees' Credit Union and the Friends of the Libraries.
Editor's note: To request an interview with keynote speaker Douglas Bennett, please contact Emily Caldwell at University News Services, 614/593-1890, before noon April 11.