The following Position Paper on Copyright in the Electronic Environment was approved by IFLA's Executive and Professional Boards during the 62nd IFLA Conference in Beijing, China, 25-31 August 1996. Introduction IFLA recognises that the provision of access to information depends on properly functioning national and international networks of library and information services. The development of the digital information infrastructure brings with it unprecedented opportunities for providing education and entertainment and improving trade and business links.
Librarians are responsible intermediaries between rights owners and end users.
Librarians respect copyright. Librarians take copyright seriously as it affects all the material held in libraries. Librarians are in a prime position to facilitate the flow of information within and between all sectors of the community. Librarians are catalysts for the flow of information in a community. They educate users about copyright and the use of copyright protected material.