Generosity and Copyright: Creative Commons and Creative Commons Search Tools

摘要

How many times have you had a patron come into your library or resource center and ask for help on a project, report, class assignment, or presentation? How often do they ask for print materials - books, magazines, or newspapers? How often do they ask for other media sources - audio, video, graphics - all for use in school/college presentations, business meetings, or their own independent projects? We librarians need to help the current library user find all types of content, not just print, but the entire range of content available - text, audio (music, voice), video, film, graphics, and images. A current user of the library might want to create his or her own podcast, audio blog, or recording and be in need of copyright-free audio (music or speech) that can be re-mixed, sampled, or created as a mash-up for release to an online community. Maybe you have an apprentice filmmaker who needs video footage. Or a patron who needs graphics or images for a business or school presentation. Can you help them find what they need? Can you help them find materials in the public domain that they can copy, re-mix, sample, share, display, and distribute in a final report, a presentation, a blog, a podcast, or a Web site posting?