For the second year running, the Department of Library and Information Studies will offer a graduate-level course on Copyright Principles and Practices specifically designed for Librarians and other information specialists. The course is being offered in recognition of the need to establish and maintain a balance between access to information and the protection of the rights of authors and publishers and in response to the increasing need for capacity building in this area. The course which will run from January – May 2005, will expose participants to copyright principles as well as practices relating to the use of protected works. It will also focus on the impacts of copyright conventions, treaties and legislation on the delivery of library and information services in the Caribbean. Particular attention will be paid to the copyright laws of the Caribbean, the special impacts of information technologies and the development of a balance between copyright laws and access to information.
Candidates for the course are expected to hold good undergraduate degrees in Library and Information Studies or in other areas. Successful completion of the course will count for three postgraduate level credits. The majority of participants are expected to be Librarians or Information Resources Managers in public, private and non-governmental organizations. The course will be taught by the UWI’s University Counsel, and Specialist in Copyright and Intellectual Property Law, Beverley Pereira. Further information may be obtained from the Department at telephone number 927-2944