"Since the first edition was published in 2003 this has been one of the most essential books on my shelf...If you only purchase one book on law for information professionals, let it be this one...Highly recommended."
- The Electronic Library

"Essential Law is just that – essential reading for any information professional, particularly those with responsibility for compliance in areas such as copyright."
- CILIP CLSIG Journal

A brand new edition of this best-selling text offering up-to-date and easy-to-follow practical advice on the law as it affects information management and the fundamental principles underlying practice. Using individual cases to illustrate underlying principles and contextualize regulations it manages to cut through the legalese and provide exactly what’s needed in an easily digestible format. This gives you the tools to quickly assess legal hazards and identify solutions.

New and up-to-date coverage includes:

• the Digital Economy Act 2010 and it’s implications for libraries
• the Open Government License and the re-use of public sector information
• patents and trademarks
• CILIP’s guidelines on user privacy in libraries
• the move to extend legal deposit to electronic content
• recent changes in libel law
• the Data Protection Act and new penalties for infringement
• digital content and platforms
• open access and social networking.

This is an essential guide for anyone working in the information professions. It is also the ideal legal textbook for students of information studies and librarianship.

2012; 288pp; paperback; 978-1-85604-769-2; £49.95

Look inside this book

• Table of contents
• Chapter 1