So I just remembered someone had recommended me for an ALA committee… dug around for the email… filled out the form, and got to the bottom, which states:
“PLEASE NOTE: ALA will be the copyright owner of any work created for the committee. The undersigned assigns to ALA any ownership rights, including copyrights, of any work created for the committee and releases ALA from any claims relating to ALA’s use of any such work products.”
Whatever happened to “share and share alike”? Creative Commons, anyone? Can ALA not get it through its thick skull that we are ALA? I smell a lawyer.
I am sending in the form–with that section crossed out and a note that ALA and I will co-share copyright. If that’s not good enough for ALA, I don’t need this committee appointment. Otherwise, I’ll settle for this being a “mistake” or “oversight.”
Posted on this day, other years:
Hee – send it to the Oversight committee…
Every time ALA or a similar Large Body (IRA, NCTE etc.) wants to print something I have written, often a speech given at one of their conferences, they send me a contract that says they own all rights.
And every time I send it back saying, “I own all rights and am allowing you to have first publication rights.”
And every time–I kid you not–I get a letter saying, “Oops, we sent you the WRONG contract. That’s the contract that goes to the academics/librarians/poor-unknowing sods. Here’s the Writer’s contract.”
But we should all be treated as writers if they want the use of something we wrote. Yes?
Jane Yolen
Actually, I think you took the right approach, Karen. You’ve said, “I can’t agree to that language, but would agree to this…” It’s a complex environment — with many stories, many individuals. mg
Indeed, we are all Writers when we Write!
Sometimes it’s just awareness: I remember stewing over such a form from a state association a decade ago. The woman had never noticed or thought about it, and quickly lined out the section.
It’s my small gesture toward global awareness. You know, this comes up as a discussion point in LITA quite a bit, where there are many open access advocates. When Big-ALA rolls out new services (like *cough* the online community), we might want to see if these services are as member-friendly as possible.