LM_NET: Library Media Networking
Last week I asked a question about obtaining out of print books for my
library to supplement a reading series. Many of the supplemental titles
for the series we bought five years ago (when it was "new") were out
of print. A parent suggested companies that photocopy out of print books. =
I asked about the legalities of this, and companies that provide this
service.
These are the answers I received.
UMI has a service called Books on Demand
( http://www.umi.com/hp/Support/BOD/ ) . They have permission to copy
from a huge database and will sell you the copy. According to a
posting on another list, it is quite expensive. I don't know if they
will add books to their service. I've given you the url of the
explanation page. It was quite well hidden on their website.
..............................
Your parent may have heard of a new service provided by Ingram
Book Distributors called "Print on Demand" in which publishers
can print small quantities of out of print books for consumer
demand. I am not sure it is up and running yet. Perhaps you
would like to check it out with Ingram.
......................................
You may want to contact the publisher about the OP titles that are
on your list - if enough of the reading series sold, maybe the
publisher will consider another edition of the title.
You could also check with used book stores in your area
(or around the country) to see is copies of the needed titles
are available for your library.
.......................................
According to people who work in the copyright office,
photocopying an out of print books is a violation. I asked
them this very same question. I also complained about it.
How are you suppose to teach required material when it is no
longer available?
.......................................
When materials are out of print, you can request permission to photocopy th=
e
originals, if you can find them. You must pay a royalty fee, usually, in
order to get permission to do this. I don't know of any company that would
do it for you. There are companies that will try to get out of print books
for you, though. I like to use Powells in Portland, OR. Their website is
http://www.powells.com.
.........................................
Just MHO: Xeroxing an out-of-print book destroys the market for a reprint
ed., so robs the owner of potential income. BUT: one can always ask for
permission. If the book will never be reprinted, the copyright owner might
provide written permission to copy.
.......................................
Yes, it would be illegal to photocopy (the term 'Xerox' is trademarked)
out-of-print books unless you have a copy of the work that is
deteriorating and you need to preserve it and you can't find an unused
copy at a reasonable price. Of course, the company you are dealing with
may have a license from the publisher to perform this service. Check
that out before you dismiss the suggestion.
..........................................
It's too bad that the reading series doesn't supply the supplemental
reading books themselves. Actually, I would suggest you asking them
about it. If they are going to recommend them, then maybe they should
look into having these books reprinted. It would actually benefit them
in the long run so they might do it.
This reminds me of University... and buying books from copy shops that
contained
the articles we had to read. At first there were those doing this illegally=
,
but
more under the thought it was within fair practice. Finally these copy
places
also started being involved in purchasing permission to copy the materials
<or
helping the buyer to do so> In this case they became legal of course. I
wouldn't
put off the possibility it may very well be a good suggestion... HOWEVER, i=
t
would still require the location of such books, and dealing with the
publisher.
The final copies would wear out rather quickly... I think putting pressure
on
the other company to put money behind their words and reprint the
supplemental
reading would be better all around.
.........................................
Yes, this would be a violation of the copyright law, unless:
1) The company obtained permission from the copyright owner first.
or
2) The material is old enough that it falls into 'public domain'...
although you have to be careful with this because the length of copyright
protection for a work was changed to a much longer timeframe a couple years
ago.
...........................................
It is a violation of copyright. Others here can provide the details you nee=
d
for that.
As to the company, it may be UMI in Ann Arbor, Mi. Their website is at
http://www.umi.com They announced at ALA their Digital Vault project
which will turn their vast microfilmed collection into digital images
available online. But more to your point, they do provide print copies
of OP works. Whether they can provide the titles you need is something
to ask them.
Here is a paragraph from an article posted on their website:
"For 60 years, UMI has served as a global leader in collecting,
organizing, and distributing value-added information worldwide to
researchers and students in libraries and schools in some 160 countries.
As a result of agreements with more than 8,000 publishers worldwide, UMI
provides access to information and articles
from periodicals, newspapers, out-of-print books, dissertations and
other scholarly collections. These resources are available from UMI over
the Internet, through ProQuest Direct=AE, on CD-ROM, and in microform,
print, and other media."
They take care of any royalty payments, etc., and comply fully with
copyright requirements.
If they can't provide the works you need I'm sure they know who their
competitors in this area are. Ask them for suggestions.
................................
What about second hand sources, like bibliofind.com? (mentioned three times=
)
..................................
I'm pretty sure the Xerox copies would not last long anyhow, even if they
do not violate copyright, I have done it on occasion to replace a page or 2
that was torn out of library books for the older students. The thickness o=
f
the paper is nowhere near the thickness of a library bound book. I have
found
the same thing with my Reading series. The Rep for the series told me that
they do this on purpose to help ensure that the books have not been
"memorized", or have been read repeatedly before the child meets them in
the
text, thereby ensuring that the child is really learning the desired skills=
.
I tend to spend most of my efforts trying to get the enrichment texts, they
are usually more readily available and are actually intended to be a part o=
f
the library collection to enhance the series. Try asking your Rep for the
reasoning, but don't be surprised of out of print books were chosen on
purpose.
..................................
This seems a bit absurd (copyright issue notwithstanding)- the labor
costs of xeroxing a book of any substantial length and then binding the
books somehow, etc. would be prohibitive, wouldn't they? The whole point of
printing is a quality product at a cost-effective price. Xeroxing would
have to be done by hand (at least the initial set of proofs), then run in
batches - then bound. Unless the title is in very high demand, it couldn't
possibly be done at a profit.
However, with the advent of computer technology, I recall hearing something
about books that were printed up to order. I don't recall the company that
did it.
I'm sure that schools probably do it when they can no longer get textbooks
or readers, especially when they're going to change the framework in a few
years.
.............................
I'm not sure about the legality of a company selling copies of
out-of-print books. Try barnesandnoble.com and some of the other book
dealer sites. They have an out of print section to search. I found 3
that my mother has been looking for a number of years. She is going to
be happy this Christmas! They tell you on screen if they have it, the
condition, price, etc., as well as when it will be shipped. Then they
send you an email to tell you when they have actually shipped it.
................................
Karen DeFrank. Library Media Specialist
Dorothy L. Bullock Elementary School
Glassboro, NJ 08028
defrank@voicenet.com or kdefrank@glassboro.k12.nj.us
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