Adu and van der Walt (2021)
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Source Details
Adu and van der Walt (2021) | |
Title: | Effects of awareness of user rights on compliance with copyright laws and policies in academic libraries |
Author(s): | Adu, T.L., van der Walt, T.B. |
Year: | 2021 |
Citation: | Adu, T.L. and van der Walt, T.B. (2021) Effects of awareness of user rights on compliance with copyright laws and policies in academic libraries. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 47(4) |
Link(s): | Definitive |
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About the Data | |
Data Description: | The study adopted sequential explanatory mixed methods to gather data, including qualitative and quantitative data from interviews, focus groups and questionnaires. Data were gathered from 530 postgraduate students and 4 head librarians in Ghana. Data was analysed using cross-tabulation, correlation, and thematic content analysis. |
Data Type: | Primary data |
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Cross Country Study?: | No |
Comparative Study?: | No |
Literature review?: | No |
Government or policy study?: | No |
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Abstract
“The complexities and ambiguities of copyright laws influence compliance for librarians and patrons of academic libraries. The study investigated the relationship between awareness of copyright laws, particularly user rights, and the level of compliance in academic libraries in Ghana. The sequential explanatory mixed methods approach was employed for data collection from 530 postgraduate students, and 4 head librarians of two public and two private universities using questionnaires, focus group discussion and qualitative interview sessions. Awareness of copyright laws and policies generally influenced copyright compliance. However compliance was differently influenced by awareness of different aspects of the copyright laws and policies. Awareness of user rights positively influenced compliance of copyright laws and policies. The positive influence of awareness of user rights on compliance implies that copyright educators, in seeking to address the increasing levels of copyright violations in academic libraries, will do well to promote user rights.”
Main Results of the Study
• Overall, awareness of copyright laws or policies only marginally improves levels of compliance with them. Students cite various reasons for not complying with copyright laws, even when made aware of them, including the lack of a monitoring system or punitive consequences for infringement, and the high cost and lack of available educational resources which makes compliance difficult.
• Levels of compliance are higher where students are made aware of specific provisions, particularly on copyright exceptions and limitations, public domain materials, and the fair use doctrine.
Policy Implications as Stated By Author
[[Has intervention-response::Whilst the study does not explicitly state any policy recommendations, it suggests that ‘strategies to promote awareness of the exceptions and limitations provisions of the copyright laws [are needed] in academic libraries’.]]
Coverage of Study
Datasets
Sample size: | 530 |
Level of aggregation: | Individual |
Period of material under study: | Unknown |