From the Texas State Library and Archives Commission

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission has received many questions recently about virtual and online storytimes. They wanted to curate a few resources that may be helpful during this time. If you need legal advice, they would highly recommend that you reach out to your library’s, city’s or county’s legal counsel if available.

Virtual Storytime Information

• School Library Journal’s COVID-19 Publisher Information Directory: This resource outlines permissions granted during COVID-19 by publisher.

• Online Story Time & Coronavirus: This post from the Programming Librarian was posted by ALA’s Public Program’s Office. This should not be taken as legal advice, but may offer one perspective.

• Youth and Teen Programs and Services: The Texas State Library’s Youth Services page provides COVID-19 Youth Services Resources.

Copyright and Creative Commons Information

• Introduction to Copyright and Fair Use online course: This webinar was presented by Colleen Lyon, Head of Scholarly Communications at UT Austin, and Emilie Algenio, Copyright & Fair Use Librarian at Texas A&M University.

• Measuring Fair Use: The Four Factors: This provides a solid overview of fair use from the Stanford Copyright and Fair Use Center.

• U.S. Copyright Office: The website of the U.S. Copyright Office provides a a plethora of resources on copyright law.

• Creative Commons: Helping Patrons and Students Find and License Online Content: In this archived webinar, the Texas State Library’s Kyla Hunt and Liz Philippi explore ways to locate Creative Commons licensed materials and to promote the usage of Creative Commons in your library.

They hope you find this information useful. For further reading, you may also want to view the TSLAC’s previous blog post, Copyright and Fair Use Resources.

Have a safe and healthy summer!