Target: Web page ownership

[Rosanne Zajko <rmz@ADELPHIA.NET>]

Hi all,

I have a question concerning ownership of library web pages and I would like
to know your opinion on the following situation:

 I designed my library web page and the page is linked from the school's
home page.  The library web page is hosted on a server independent of the
school's service. The artwork is original and I work on the page daily on my
own time (not school time) in the evenings and on weekends.  A question has
come up over who owns the page.  It has been suggested that this situation
is equal to that of businesses that have propriatary ownership of inventions
and improvements designed by employees, and that therefore the library web
page does not belong to me, but to the school.  Others liken the situation
to intellectual property, and therefore is owned by the designer.  I look at
the web page as a service provided by the librarian, and in many ways,
consider it an extension of my lesson plans.  As far as I know (and I may be
wrong), lesson plans are the property of teachers, not school districts.

I think what is prompting this discussion is the concern that a web page
could disappear overnight if the person responsible for it leaves the
school. I understand that concern; however, if the school "owns" the web
page there is the possibility that someone other than the librarian would be
deciding content (i.e. collection development) which is the librarian's
responsibility.  There is also the issue of timeliness of postings and
updating information.

I have checked the archives for this topic, but found no hits. I would like
to know how many library web pages are "owned" by librarians and how many
are "owned" by the school. If you own your page, what would happen if you
left the school?  Also, if you can provide any logic, examples or points of
view that would support that web pages are owned by their creators (who, by
the way, did not sign any agreements to the contrary) I would be most
grateful.  I will post a hit if there are enough responses.

Thanks in advance.

Rosanne Zajko - SLMS
Ancillae Assumpta Academy
Wyncote, Pa. 19095
rmz@adelphia.net

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