Keywords

1 Introduction

In the modern era, called “information society” (already transformed as a knowledge society), we have witnessed the rapid development of human intellectual activity, with the result that produces unique creative goods, products of the personal creativity and innovativeness of the human mind. Specifically this kind of creative goods promote the development of İntellectual Property (IP).

In the theoretical literature there are many IP definitions and interpretations, which are constantly evolving with the technology change. IP by itself, very broadly means the legal rights which result from intellectual activity in the industrial, scientific, literary and artistic fields. Generally speaking, IP Law aims to safeguard creators and other producers of intellectual goods and services by granting them certain time-limited rights to control the use, made of those productions. Those rights do not apply to the physical objects in which the creation may be embodied but instead to the intellectual creation as such.

According to Borisova, Intellectual Property is “property, but not on items of material nature, and upon an intellectual achievements inherently with intangible nature, the so-called intellectual property objects” [1, p. 9]. IP rights must be seen as objective and subjective right courses and science. On IP rights, as objectively existing law, in the legal science there is no single opinion. The new information environment imposes new requirements on the competences and adequate knowledge of modern young professionals, who graduated their higher education.

Krasteva summarizes that “this is especially true for the professional fields related to information and social sciences, as currently these sciences are one of the most dynamically developing” [2, p. 108]. The main spheres of realization of the information specialists are: regional and national media, governmental and non-governmental organizations and institutions, and the use of information resources is the basis of their professional activity and condition for their successful realization, they need to be well informed on the IP protection issues. The copyright competence is an essential part of the students’ information literacy in this professional field, especially in terms of Internet usage and digital content.

2 Literature Review

The body of literature on IP/copyright literacy of information professionals and about copyright academic and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) education is substantial and will not be reviewed in depth here. This review will highlight some of the basic documents, initiatives and publications in the field, including: Crews book “Copyright Law for Librarians and Educators” and his updated and revised “Study on copyright limitations and exceptions for libraries and archives”; the guidance of Russell “Complete Copyright: An Everyday Guide for Librarians”; “The Copyright Librarian: A Practical Handbook” by Frederiksen; the eIFL publications “Developing a Library Copyright Policy”, “Treaty Proposal on Limitations and Exceptions for Libraries and Archives” and “Core library exceptions checklist: Does your library law support library activities and services?”; “eIFL-IP Draft law on copyright including model exceptions and limitations for libraries and consumers” as well as “Copyright for Librarians: The essential handbook” by Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University and eIFL, and “Copyright and E-learning a guide for practitioners” by Secker and Morrison [3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12].

Althought, the copyright-related issues within the LIS and cultural sector are acknowledged in the literature, the themes such as implementations of copyright education into information literacy programs and integration of copyright and licensing issues into the LIS curriculum are actual and require further attention. This was confirmed by Schmidt and English, who investigated in 2013/2014 the copyright/IP instruction in ALA-accredited LIS programs in the USA against practitioner needs of copyright/IP knowledge by comparing LIS course descriptions with survey data from practitioners. They concluded that although recent graduates of LIS programs in the USA are more likely to have had instruction on copyright/IP issues, this instruction is not widespread enough, nor in depth enough to prepare LIS program graduates for the current demands of the workplace [13].

3 Background, Hypotheses and Motivation

University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (ULSIT) has contributed to the successful dissemination of IP knowledge, as there are already 20 years of experience in IP courses for non-laweyers. ULSIT’s contribution to the research of IP awareness in information and social sciences is indisputable, considering two projects that are fully focused on the research of future professionals and practitioners. The first one was a survey conducted in 2012 at nine Bulgarian universities (accredited in the professional fields of information and social sciences), which explored the IP awareness among the students as whole. The survey results showed that the students opinion is that IP training is very important and useful for their study and work [17]. Although that importance of training in the IP field for the Library and Information Science (LIS) students and professionals is recognized, the study of copyright literacy of specialists from the library and other cultural institutions, conducted in Bulgaria in 2013, highlighted serious gaps in the knowledge and awareness, and the inability of the professionals to deal with the copyright issues arising in the real working environment [14]. The unsatisfactory level of the copyright literacy of Bulgarian professionals is highlighted in the comparison with the results of a survey among their colleagues from other countries [15].

As an answer on the established knowledge gap, we designed Educational IP model for LIS students at ULSIT.

The hypotheses is that: As the main spheres of realization of the LIS future specialists are: libraries, information centers and other cultural institutions, regional and national media, governmental and non-governmental organizations (or with other words – public institutions), and the use of information resources is the basis of their professional activity and condition for their successful realization, they need to be well informed on the issues of the IP protection.

In the process of preparation of the Educational IP model for LIS students at ULSIT, we follow some basic conclusions and motivations. First, we are convinced that for optimizing the role and quality of library and information education in preparing future professionals in library, information and cultural affairs, according to the new demands of the information and digital reality, and copyright and legal issues - it is important for LIS students to be knowledgeable in the IP field as early as possible during their formal education and to have the sustained development throughout all educational levels [16]. The second important factor is that the educational profile of ULSIT is directly related to the dissemination of information and knowledge. Therefore, professional knowledge, skills and experience that students receive during their training are similar to the necessary dissemination of information and knowledge in the IP field. That makes them prepared to work in this area. Third, another focus is important, namely, that the object of learning in ULSIT includes a wide range of information products, services, equipment and technologies that are inherently intellectual products and it is logical that students have a good understanding of their IP issues. Therefore, the inclusion of IP matters in the students’ curricula in all subjects is natural and necessary, and therefore the efforts are directed towards its realization. Fourth, it can be said with conviction that this is the opinion of the students who definitely are interested and willing to acquire more knowledge in IP - an area perceived as modern, relevant and useful. Indicative of this is the fact that each year more students from different disciplines and levels of study write a bachelors’ or master’s thesis on IP rights, which are successfully defended [17].

4 Educational IP Model for LIS Students at ULSIT

In a knowledge based economy, experts who can interpret IP issues, such as librarians and information specialists are seen as essential. They are responsible for creating a policies of promoting, understanding and resolving legal disputes and conflicts that are unique to this aspect of the Information Society. The way to achieve this is through the educational impact of the IP curriculum. IP can be considered as an information literacy element in university information environment, so to develop successfuly students at the university, and in life, they must learn to use efficiently and effectively the wide variety of information and communication technologies for searching, finding, organizing, analyzing and evaluating the information they need [18].

We developed own Educational IP model for LIS students at ULSIT and implemented it in the Bachelor’s Program “Library and Information Management” at Library Management Department from AY 2013/2014 up to now. For the needs of this specialty, we have updated the curriculum and prepared the following obligatory courses – “Intellectual Property” and “Digitization and Copyright” and we also offered elective courses – “Intellectual Property in Internet” and “Law, Media and Advertising”.

4.1 Intellectual Property

The learning outcome of the “Intellectual Property” course is for students to obtain the necessary theoretical and practical training for the objects of IP rights and ensure their protection. In the first module Legal and Institutional framework at National, European and International level is presented, which will have a particular significance for their implementation in different areas of the modern information society. The second module presents the rich variety of IP goods in the fields of literature, art and science, as objects of copyright which are presented from the perspective of holders’ rights and their duration, of the moral and material rights of the author, the uses of works and the protection of these rights. The industrial property is represented by inventions, utility models, industrial designs, geographical indications and different types of brands, trademarks, service marks and others. Official publications, institutions, funds and databases, including those on the Internet, through which one can find information about them are presented in the third module.

As can be seen from the content of the course, by itself it’s basic and aims to introduce the students the wide spectrum of IP objects. IP objects are presented in an attractive way, through a lot of examples which are part of the everyday work of the library specialists. During the seminars students have to be prepared for discussion of different case studies, taken from actual practice. During the semester each student must prepare a presentation according a concrete case study of their choice. Verification of students’ knowledge is ongoing throughout the semester and by examination-test. The final score is the average of the monitoring during the semester and evaluation of the exam.

4.2 Digitization and Copyright

In this course topical issues arising over the digitization of cultural heritage, the status of digital resources and observance for copyright, the development of large-scale digitization projects in the U.S. and Europe, the activities of libraries in implementing the digital conversion of cultural materials and on the need of implementation of National Strategy for digitization of cultural and literary heritage – compile the trouble range of the first module. The learning content aimed to help the future professionals in the construction of library policies, in accordance with the requirements of the copyright and related rights law in the offering of library services and resources. The current legislative standards and new proposals on exceptions and limitations of copyright for libraries, schools, museums and archives are summarized in the second module. It emphasizes the role of libraries as creators of digital content, as gateways for access to digitized information and as a factor in overcoming the digital divide and isolation. The course summarizes the positions of library organizations IFLA, EBLIDA, LIBER, ALA, eIFL etc. and their interaction with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the European Commission in defending the interests of libraries and their users in preparing changes to information legislation, who aimed placing the management of copyright in line with the digital technologies and expand use of Internet. Each module ends with a current assessment, which evaluates the student’s involvement in the learning process and class discussions. As final exam task, students are also required to prepare a course work, based on a case study for Bulgarian or foreign cultural institution - examining issues concerning institutional strategies for digitization and institutional copyright policy. The outcomes from the course are that students acquire knowledge and competences to develop successful strategic management in digitization and develop and apply copyright policy in cultural institutions.

4.3 Intellectual Property in Internet

This elective course requires prior knowledge and skills from the previous training course “Intellectual Property”. The main task of the course is to give students the necessary specialized theoretical and practical training for the management of IP in the digital space. The main task of the first module, entitled “Identification of IP Objects on the Internet” is: to present İnternet access to IP objects and to clarify copyright powers in the use of works on the Internet. The main task of the second module “Institutional and Regulatory Framework of IP on the Internet” is: to reveal the International, European and Bulgarian legislation by relevant documents like WIPO Internet Treaties, EU Directives and Conventions of the Council of Europe and the Bulgarian laws. The institutional framework of the three levels in the areas of IP of information resources on the Internet space are presented, too. The main task of the third module “Models for the Protection of Intellectual Property on the Internet” is: to learn how to acquire the right to use works on the Internet - through individual contract or negotiating on a collective basis (through organizations for collective management of copyright). The main methods and structures to build the system for digital copyright management, known as DRM, are shown as equally applicable to individual and collective forms of rights management. This module traces the appearance its applications since 2001 contracts for open access, known as the Creative Commons (CC), and are presented with details and their variations, with the opportunity for adequate implementation by the authors on copyright protection [19]. Teaching is done in an auditorium that includes computers with secure access to the İnternet. The teaching is illustrated with concrete examples from practice. Most topics explored are accompanied by demonstration of search capabilities and specific features in generating online contracts. Assessment of students’ knowledge is done both throughout the semester and by passing a test.

4.4 Law, Media and Advertising

The course “Law, Media and Advertising” provides students with knowledge of the legal framework of the print and electronic media at International, European and National levels. Students acquire specific knowledge regarding the protection of copyright in the creative works and the related rights of the producers and broadcasting organizations, as well as their management and operations.

Emphasis is placed on ethics and responsibilities for working in the media and on forms of IP protection in the presence of disturbances. Sources of advertising in the print and electronic media, such as legal subjects are also covered. They acquire knowledge about the peculiarities of the sources of advertising belonging to the groups of objects of IP for material and moral rights and the duration of ownership. Students get acquainted with the basics of law, and they acquire skills to use legal documents for searching from within the huge flow of information and to comply with their updates. The course is an elective and the assesment of the students’ knowledge is by writing a course paper according the course contents in a concrete case study.

5 Other Activities for Informal and Upgrading IP Training

Methodology of teaching the students includes lectures and seminars, interactive and situational methods, application of the approach “learning by doing” and “edutainment”, which activates the students’ participation. Individual forms of work such as term papers, presentations, individual assignments, communication in e-learning platforms - support the learning process and the current assessment of students’ knowledge. Library Management Department features with the active involvement of students in research projects and joint research papers for participation at scientific conferences and symposiums. There are two initiatives in the Library Management Department, which are directed to informal and upgrading IP training of students.

One of them is the work of students in relation to the Week Dedicated to The International Day of the Book and Copyright Day (23 April), where students take part in the organization of this initiative and have the opportunity to publish their first scientific research in the thematic research collection [20].

Also, there is an established tradition in the celebration of the World Intellectual Property Day (26 th April) as an annually conducted professional forum. The theme of the seminar is determined after the announcement of the slogan from the WIPO. The slogan of the seminar in 2013 was “Creativity: The Next Generation”, the slogan for 2014 was “Movies: The Global Passion”, the slogan for 2015 was “Intellectual Property – Formula for Success, Creativity and Innovation”, the slogan for 2016 was “Internet Liberalization - Formula for Success, Creativity and Innovation”, and for 2017 the theme of the seminar was “Intellectual Property, Innovation and Research in a Global Environment”. The annual seminar aims to popularize issues directly affecting copyright competence of future library managers, and to become an annual professional forum for the exchange of views, ideas and meetings with prominent experts in the IP field. It is a method to enrich the theoretical knowledge with practical aspects and meeting the academic community with professionals from practice and with leading external experts. The seminars and the published proceedings are always welcomed with great interest by students, professionals, practitioners and those interested in the issues non-specialists lawyers [21].

6 Conclusion

The main aim of the Educational IP model for LIS students at ULSIT is for the students to study IP in all educational levels: bachelor, master and doctorate, and in the different forms of education: full time, part time and distance. The teaching methodology combined traditional methods together with informal and upgrading IP training approach. Evaluating our four years of experiences, we need improvement and coordination on the international level. We are interested on the foreign best practices and models for education on copyright, licensing, and other legal issues within the scope of information literacy programs. İn this direction, two activities are in realization in 2017.

In May 2017, ULSIT joined the multinational research team for the implementation of the Copyright Literacy Survey for LIS (Library and Information Science) students (CoLIS). The main aim of the survey is to collect data about knowledge, opinions, and experiences of LIS students regarding copyright policies and related issues. Findings will help us to identify better the gaps in the curricula and will allow us to formulate more solid suggestions for improvements.

Also, how to improve the copyright education in LIS field is the on-going discussion, focused on the in-coming professional events in 2017. Our research team will participate in the international symposium on theme “Copyright Literacy and the role of librarians as educators” at ECIL 2017 (European Conference on Information Literacy) and in the Offsite Session “Models for Copyright Education in Information Literacy Programs” for IFLA Congress 2017. This offsite session will be devoted to methodologies for providing a comprehensive knowledge of the legal landscape for copyright, licensing, and related legal and policy issues in libraries and universities [22].