Chery Roberson, Supervisor of Media Services
What is copyright? Copyright is a form of legal protection automatically provided to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works. Copyright protections arise automatically the moment an original work is fixed in a tangible medium of expression. It does not need to be registered, published, or have a copyright notice on it. Works found on the Internet should be assumed to be protected by copyright law, even if it is not stated on the site.
Central Rivers does have a Copyright Policy that is board approved that can be found online. All of our school districts will have a similar document in their board policies.
In your work with schools, you probably confront questions about how to share legitimately with your school staff and students, the many articles, videos, music, images and other intellectual property created by others. Sorting out what you can or can’t do is often confusing. Lack of clear-cut answers may translate into delays, doubts, fear of liability, and decisions to err on the side of caution and non-use. But frequently your use of materials may already be permissible or rights to use may have already been licensed by Central Rivers AEA or reserved under law.
Central Rivers AEA Media Services shares a brochure called Copyright Brief Notes for Students and Staff to help guide both you and the districts you serve. This brochure gives information about Fair Use and also lists specific use information about the digital resources offered via Iowa AEA Online, a suite of resources available to all students and staff. The Technology Integration section on our website also hosts a page listing important information about digital citizenship which includes copyright information.
If you have any questions about use of copyrighted materials in your work, please contact Cheryl Roberson or Cari Teske.