Audiovisual Equipment for Curriculum Unit Implementation
TIP has a set of AV tools available for Fellows to use in implementing their curriculum units. To learn more about borrowing the equipment, contact the TIP office at 215-694-6176. The following items are available for Fellows to borrow:
- Sony HDR-PJ380 Camcorder
- Solo 5 Hovercam
- Logitec C920 Webcam
- Vivitek D554 Projectors
- Lenova Thinkpad Yoga 460 Laptop
- Canon EOS Rebel T6 + 18-55 / 75-300mm Lens Camera
- Qomo Audio Response System (30 “clickers”)
- Hisonic HS-122B Portable Wireless PA Amplifier
Obtaining Permission to Use Copyrighted Material
Step I:
No matter the length of the material excerpt (that is, how much of the total work is used), the fellow should be aware that the work may have outlived its copyright protection and may be in the public domain. Once in the public domain, there are no restrictions on the use of the work.
Currently, works which were under a statutory copyright before 1925 are in the public domain. Therefore, the fellow should realize that there is a great deal of valuable material already in the public domain. As an example, all of Shakespeare’s plays are in the public domain. However, if a new edition of one of the plays is annotated, then this new edition would be copyrighted because of the original contributions of the editor. The original language of the Shakespeare play should be used where there is a question.
In order to acquire information as to the copyright status of certain works, the fellows should search for the work’s status online at http://www.copyright.gov/records. Fellow may request contact information for the copyright holder by writing to the Register of Copyrights at the Library of Congress as follows:
Dear Register:
Please provide information on the copyright status of the following item(s):
Name of work:
Author(s) or composer(s):
Original date of publication:
Original holder of copy:
If this item is not public domain, would you kindly provide:
The Name of owner:
Owner’s Address:
Step II:
If the work or excerpt is not in the public domain, or it is not clear whether it is, the fellow should secure permission to duplicate the material from the copyright owner. The following information is designed to help the fellow locate holders of copyright and secure permission.
Locating the Copyright Holder
The title page of a publication, or its reverse, should contain the copyright notice. This page should include the year of the publication, the name of the copyright owner, and in general, any acknowledgements of other copyright material used in the book. The word “acknowledgement” indicates that some material remains with the original owner.
The address of most copyright holders is printed with the copyright notice, but be aware that publishers may move or the copyright may be sold or transferred to another company. The publishers’ associations listed below can help in supplying further information.
Association of American Publishers
Music Publishers Association of the United States
Association of Magazine Media
Also, the U.S. Register of Copyrights keeps records of all deposits and transfers (FORM A should provide this information). The Copyright Office will, for a fee, conduct a search, on request, if there is real difficulty in locating the current owner of a copyright.
We recommend that fellows write to the copyright holder as follows requesting permission to use the materials:
Dear [Name of Copyright Holder]:
I am a teacher in the School District of Philadelphia working with the Teachers Institute of Philadelphia, affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania. I am preparing a curriculum unit for my own and my colleague’s use in school courses. I would like to include, in my unit, the following material, for which you hold the copyright.
[Title, author and/or editor, and edition]
[Material to be used – describe, give page numbers etc.]
My unit, containing this material, will be compiled with other curriculum units which the Institute will reproduce and distribute, free of charge, to teachers in Philadelphia schools and other teachers, upon request. The units are intended to provide new and exciting material for teachers to use in their own classrooms. Teachers in the Institute assemble these materials with the help of grants from various private and public funders. Because of limited, non-profit distribution of the units, for teaching purposes, we request that no royalties be charged.
I request your written permission to reproduce this material in the compiled units. Because units must be made available to teachers at the beginning of the school year, your prompt consideration and reply is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
[Name]