Collision or coexistence? Copyright law in the digital environment

Digital technology and global economic trends present fundamental challenges to copyright law in the twenty-first century. On a practical level, librarians need to understand the particulars of current laws in order to make responsible decisions and to utilize to the fullest extent the possibilities that copyright law affords them in their missions. This article will identify the major copyright issues associated with library digital activities, and will discuss copyright protection in the digital environment of material originating in the Slavic, East European, and Eurasian nations. It covers use of Slavic and East European material in the U.S. in various contexts, including Internet activity, preservation and replacement, interlibrary loan, electronic reserves, classroom and educational use, text encoding, digitization of print and microform materials, and creation of digital content and databases.