Trouble in Paradise: Are you violating copyright by using social media read alouds?

You’ve seen them online: educators reading aloud picture books and chapter books on YouTube, Facebook or other public sites. You may have used these read alouds, many teachers and librarians do: for students with special needs, to help with time management, or due to budget constraints. Yet, are publicly posted read alouds the only way? Are they legal? Which ones may violate fair use standards of copyright law? All the legal issues surrounding read alouds on social media and in educational settings have not been settled. However, fair use is the law and does have specific requirements that include: the purpose of the use, the nature of the work in question, the portion of the work used and the effect upon the potential market. What kind of social media read alouds are fair both to educators and to creators and publishers?

This presentation from a panel of school librarians, creators and publishing representatives will help you successfully navigate through the issues surrounding the legality of posting book read alouds on social media sites. Our focus will be on reviewing the issues from diverse perspectives AND providing alternative and creative ways to better support the needs of educators and their students without infringing on the rights of creators or publishers.