ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


November 1 9 9 7 /7 0 1

Cham pions of sch o larly 
com munication

B y J in n ie Y . Davis

A new approach by the NCSU 
Libraries

A decade ago, easy and affordable access to scholarly and research publications 
seemed threatened as academic libraries initi­
ated massive serials cancellations in the face of 
rising costs and rampant inflation. Many librar­
ians and faculty became aware of the paradox 
of the present system: the intellectual product 
created by scholars is often sold back to their 
institutions and libraries after they relinquish 
control to publishers by waiving their own 
copyrights. Electronic publishing, initially touted 
as a way to circumvent the costs and limita­
tions o f the traditional scholarly publishing 
model, came to pose potentially greater restric­
tions and additional costs for libraries and their 
users. With the recent entry o f telecommunica­
tions and entertainment industries as major play­
ers in the copyright debate, colleges and uni­
versities now face a future in which their faculty 
and students may have fewer rights to the fair 
use o f published materials.

In response to this situation, in 1992 the 
University Library Committee at North Carolina 
State University established a Scholarly Com­
munication Subcommittee of faculty, librarians, 
administrators, and students. The University 
Library Committee also succeeded in submit­
ting a resolution passed by the NC State Fac­
ulty Senate in 1995, which endorsed the need 
to increase faculty awareness of issues pertain­
ing to copyright and scholarly publishing. To 
achieve that goal, the Scholarly Communica­
tion Subcommittee has since carried out an 
active program of educational events, bringing

to the NC State campus speakers such as Ken­
neth Crews (director, Copyright Management 
Center, Indiana University Purdue University 
at Indianapolis), Ann Okerson (formerly direc­
tor, Office of Scientific and Academic Publish­
ing, Association o f Research Libraries), and 
Karen Hersey (intellectual property counsel at 
MIT).

By learning from these speakers and inves­
tigating what other universities were doing in 
the area o f scholarly communication, the sub­
committee originally had defined as one of its 
action goals for 1996-97 the promotion of an 
NC State University “copyright management 
center.” In fall 1996 a subcommittee subgroup 
consisting o f David Zonderman (Department 
of History, subcommittee chair), David Broome 
(associate university counsel), and Jinnie Davis 
(library liaison to the subcommittee) drafted a 
proposal for such a center. Informed by fur­
ther discussions with Vice Provost and Direc­
tor of Libraries Susan K. Nutter, the proposal 
reflected a widening of its scope from a copy­
right management unit to a Scholarly Commu­
nication Center (SCC). Unlike most other uni­
versities, in which the copyright management 
center focuses on guidance to faculty on copy­
right issues, a broader Scholarly Communica­
tion Center would also serve as a source of 
legal guidance for the library staff and would 
deal with a wider range of issues, such as data­
base licensing and user privacy.

The library administration’s commitment to 
this effort was embodied in its creation, through 
internal reallocation of resources, of a full-time 
position o f scholarly communication librarian. 
Ideally, this position would be filled by a li­
brarian who understands the values of the pro­
fession, but who also possesses a J.D. and exper-

J i n n i e  Y. D a v is  is  a s s i s t a n t  d i r e c t o r  f o r  P l a n n i n g  a n d  R e s e a r c h  a t  t h e  N orth  C a r o l i n a  S t a t e  U niv ersity  L ib ra ries ; 
e - m a il : j i n n i e _ d a v i s @ n c s u .e d u

mailto:jinnie_davis@ncsu.edu


702/C&RL News

tise in intellectual property law. Not only are faculty 
pleased with the prospect of having an attorney 
who can help them with questions affecting their 
teaching and research (e.g., “Do I need to get per­
mission to use material I found on the Internet?”), 
but the university’s Legal Affairs staff also endorses 
the concept with enthusiasm. Both university coun­
sellors and librarians recognize the tremendous in­
crease in legal activity from the NCSU Libraries; it is 
estimated that this position will be able to address 
about 50 percent of the questions and issues relat­
ing to intellectual property that now go to Legal 
Affairs. The potential for even greater activity is sig­
nificant, as the NSCU Libraries expands its scope to 
new areas to ensure that its policies and proce­
dures are in compliance with copyright law: imple­
mentation of an electronic reserves system, ex­
ploration of the electronic submission of theses 
and dissertations, and distance learning issues. 
The Legal Affairs staff welcomes this position 
as one that— while not acting as official legal 
counsel for the university— can help extend 
the support o f the Legal Affairs office. The 
NSCU Libraries, Legal Affairs, and the Univer­
sity Library Committee all agree that the SCC 
is most appropriately housed in the library, 
with the scholarly communication librarian re­
porting to the director of libraries.

Space for the SCC was established on the sec­
ond floor of the main D. H. Hill Library. In an 
area newly dedicated to support for learning and 
research in the digital age, the Scholarly Com­
munication Center will be fortuitously adjacent 
to the Information Technologies Teaching Cen­
ter, Learning Technologies Center, Scanning and 
Digitization Laboratory, the recently created De­
partment for Digital Library Initiatives, and the 
university’s new Center for Teaching and Learn­
ing. Interviewing for the scholarly communica­
tion librarian began in summer 1997.

For the NSCU Libraries, an added incentive for a 
Scholarly Communication Center is the opportu­
nity to have a meaningful role in shaping policies 
related to copyright and fair use at the national and 
international levels. The first line in the NCSU Li­
braries’ mission statement is: “To define the lead­
ing edge of information services, access, and deliv­
ery.” Following this creed, the SCC was envisioned 
as taking a leadership role in safeguarding the rights 
of the scholar and the research library in the schol­
arly communication process. With a librarian-law- 
yer leading the Scholarly Communication Center, 
the NCSU Libraries will be in an excellent position 
to champion the protection of scholarly communi­
cation for the academy. ■