Hello! My name is Erin Michaud, and this is my first semester in the MLIS program. I am currently in my tenth year teaching high school Latin in Virginia.

I found the copyright information incredibly informative. My colleagues and I constantly debate these issues as we decide which tools to use in our classroom. My county has recently pushed us towards using Open Electronic Resources, which often lead us scrambling to ensure that the resources we use are both appropriate for our students and legally sound. Likewise, as we work to provide assignments for our students during the COVID-19 pandemic, considering copyright and fair use is incredibly important, especially since we are no longer in the building and in front of the students. The article that outlines the factors for fair use was especially helpful. While I feel like I have considered these things before, it is helpful to have these explicitly laid out, and while we often have the best intentions, it is still important to be diligent professionals in determining when and how to use materials.

I have a question regarding the copyright of textbooks. Our county purchased textbooks well before I began teaching, I’d say over 10 years ago, and we are still using them in the classroom. Is there an expiration date on our right to use these? As our county moves away from physical books, we are concerned that utilizing these books may be in breach of copyright.