Dear Jeff,
I'm really sorry to be such a Scrooge, but I would not do what you are doing.
I think I'm lucky to not get a lot of pressure, perhaps because I am in a secondary
school, and I realize your situation is different. But I am REALLY glad to not be
in your position, because I really do not know what I would do.
I can't say I am a copyright saint, but I try to NEVER egregiously violate
copyright laws in front of students or my faculty because I think it's incumbent on
me to set the best example I can. If I am the person in charge of copyright
education in my building, I cannot in good conscience throw away all the rules just
because it's a holiday. I think I need to try to set the example my teachers
should be shooting for, and at least it helps them KNOW right from wrong practices.
I don't bother to hope they will follow copyright laws to the letter (I'm not sure
*I* can, in every single case), but if I try to set a 100% example, (and maybe
really achieve 90% compliance), and then they demonstrate 50% compliance of THAT,
then I can rest happy. If I just say, "What the heck?" and completely disregard
laws when I feel it's OK, what example does that set for them?? However, would I
flip in one of my teachers for doing what you are doing? NO. But I would not
facilitate it in any way, and that includes setting up the equipment for it, or
providing the movie itself, or whatever. And I have gone as far as gently pointing
out that it is illegal, but I admit that I have pointed it out AFTER the fact.....
I didn't have the guts to make an issue about it beforehand, and possibly get the
event cancelled.
We all have to draw the line where our own conscience dictates, and we all
face unique situations and pressures. I do not mean to judge you, but I do have to
tell you that I cringed when I read your posting, mostly because it seems to
encourage others to follow your lead. I prefer to send the message, especially to
our information professional colleagues, that ethically, we need to do what's
right, which is usally the more difficult thing to do. If I'm in the minority,
please don't tell me, as I'll just get depressed knowing I am fighting a losing
battle. (OK, I already know it, but it's depressing to HEAR it! :} )
I hope you do have a merry Christmas... you are certainly trying to get
everyone in the spirit!
Bonnie
__________________ _____________________
|| \/ ||
|| Bonnie Fulmer, | Librarian ||
|| Spackenkill | High School ||
|| 112 Spack- | enkill Road ||
|| Poughkeepsie | NY 12603 ||
|| voice: (845) | 463-7810 ||
|| fax: (845) | 463-7817 ||
|| Bonnie.Fulmer@spackenkillschools.org ||
||___________________/\____________________||
________________________________
From: School Library Media & Network Communications on behalf of Hastings, Jeff
Sent: Wed 12/21/2005 10:02 AM
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: GEN: I admit it: I'm breaking federal law today. How 'bout YOU?
***********************
This message has been scanned for viruses by the InterScan Messaging Security Suite.
-HPS Technology
***********-***********
Colleagues:
It's the last day before winter break and I'll be spending it in
traditional fashion: acting as an accessory to a federal crime.
Yes, friends, nothing imparts that holiday glow quite like the teeny
thrill of naughtiness and the lingering sense of guilt that comes with
being part of a willful breach of copyright guidelines.
Bust out the eggnog and pass the DVDs!
Oh, come now You know what I'm talking about: The holiday film festival.
Isn't it pretty much de rigueur in every school on that last day before
break? I know I've been asked to do it every year since entering the
profession and, though I always, gently, point out that it's actually
naughty, not nice, to bend copyright law, teachers and administrators
alike always simply nudge me toward the play button with a wink and a
nod.
Ah well, it's for the kids...
This year's line up is pretty hot, too: Our library will be hosting a
gathering of about a hundred kids who'll grab some popcorn and get cozy
in our Kiva area (I installed a dedicated presentation system complete
with gut-rumbling cinema sound a few years back) and be treated to a big
screen showing of "Christmas with the Kranks." By bypassing any pesky
admission or rental fees, we'll be stealing bread off the tables of Tim
Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis and the hundreds of other artists and
tradespeople responsible for the production and distribution of the
show.
But that's not all:
For those who can't make it down to the library, I'll be pumping out
"Madagascar" on our schools in-house TV distribution system. You heard
me right! The just-released on DVD blockbuster will be available in
every classroom in the house!
Now that I've shared my dirty little secret, tell me yours. Does your
school system do this too? Are you and I part of what is perhaps the
most overlooked mass act of civil disobedience in the nation? Are you
doing it right now? Do you feel badly about it or do you kinda like it?
Do you ever bring the nasty realities of the matter up to faculty and
administration? Do any of you work in a district that has actually taken
steps to arrest this sort of practice?
Tell me about it. I wanna know. And, if you tell me, I promise, I'll
write you right back. The library's pretty much closed anyway.
We're watching movies!!!
Happy Holidays!
Jeffrey Hastings
School Librarian, possible Federal Felon,
Highlander Way Middle School
Howell, Michigan
hastingj@howellschools.com
http://www.howellschools.com/~hwmedia/content/library.html
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