A new website has launched to provide information on copyright law and fair dealing services offered in universities, colleges, and research libraries across the country.

The website, built to highlight Fair Dealing Week 2023, is the result of post-secondary partners uniting together to stand up for educational rights in copyright law with the Fair Dealing Works campaign. Universities Canada, Colleges and Institutes Canada, the Canadian Association of Research Libraries, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, the Canadian Federation of Students, the Canadian Association of University Teachers and the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic have joined forces to raise awareness about Fair Dealing.

“As a member of CARL, the Leddy Library is pleased to be part of this important initiative with our post-secondary partners,” said University librarian Selinda Berg. “Educational fair dealing is a vital right for Canadian learners, teachers, and academic authors and creators.”

Fair dealing in the Canadian Copyright Act helps to maintain a balance between content creators and users of educational materials. The University’s Fair Dealing Policy and Guidelines enable the Leddy Library to provide limited digital access to physical collections to support students and faculty in their education and research.

“Ensuring a balance in copyright law, which protects the rights of both users and creators, is key to a fair and durable copyright system that benefits all Canadians,” added Dr. Berg. “Educational fair dealing has been an important part of this balance and any move away from this balance will have significant detrimental effects on the education sector as a whole, including increasing the costs of educational materials, limiting the breadth of materials users can access, and adding new barriers for researchers, stifling Canadian innovation.”

The extension of the general copyright term in December, from life plus 50 to life plus 70 years, has weakened the user-creator balance in Canada. As the government considers additional copyright reforms, the post-secondary sector is united against any change to educational fair dealing that could further destabilize this balance and have adverse impacts on the quality and affordability of postsecondary education in Canada. Any move away from a right that has been repeatedly reaffirmed by the Supreme Court of Canada will only result in disastrous impacts on education and learning in Canada.

For more information, visit the Leddy Library website. Faculty looking for support with course materials can visit the Library’s course resources and reserves page.