Foundations of Information Law

Jaeger (Coll. of Information Studies, Univ. of Maryland; coauthor of Foundations of Information Policy), Jonathan Lazar (Coll. of Information Studies, Univ. of Maryland; coeditor of Accessible Technology and the Developing World), Ursula Gorham (Office of Faculty Affairs, Univ. of Maryland; Access to Information, Technology, and Justice), and Natalie Greene Taylor (Sch. of Information, Univ. of South Florida; coauthor of Foundations of Information Literacy) bring together their backgrounds in both the law and information sciences to provide a comprehensive overview of the role of law in the daily work of information professionals. An exploration of potential obvious and not-so-obvious legal issues is a highlight of the book. Access to information, intellectual freedom, censorship, and the impact of geographic-specific legislation are discussed. These topics are helpfully considered using examples in the context of a librarian’s actual interactions with patrons. Copyright under intellectual property law is addressed, including a discussion of the interplay between copyright protection and works under the Creative Commons and fair use exceptions. The authors describe the boundaries that information professionals must navigate—for instance, the line between helping patrons find legal resources and the non-lawyer’s prohibited activity of making legal interpretations.