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Essential Law for Information Professionals
Paul Pedley

Until relatively recently the impact of the law on the work of information professionals has
been limited, and confined principally to matters concerning copyright. However, in today's
information society librarians and information practitioners are increasingly engaging in
activities that bring them into contact with varied and complex aspects of law, going beyond
copyright into areas such as libel, freedom of information, professional liability, and privacy
and human rights. The range of legal knowledge that is required of a competent and prudent
information professional has therefore expanded significantly.

This introductory text offers both a complete picture of the law as it affects information management and an exploration of the fundamental principles that underlie practice. Where appropriate it uses individual cases to illustrate legal principles and contextualize specific regulations. Legal information often appears dense and impenetrable, but this approachable text cuts through the legalese to present the reader with exactly the information they need in a digestible form. It aims to stimulate interest and raise levels of legal awareness in the profession, particularly with regard to key ethical and policy issues. Areas covered include:

* introduction to law and legal terminology
* copyright and licensing
* data protection
* The Information Commissioner
* freedom of information
* defamation
* breach of confidence and privacy
* professional liability
* contracts and licensing agreements
* internet and electronic commerce law
* computer misuse
* disability discrimination.

The author

Paul Pedley MA MLib FCLIP is Head of Research at the Economist Intelligence Unit, and has previously worked in the information departments of a law firm, a property developer, and a number of government departments. He represents Aslib on the Libraries and Archives Copyright Alliance, and is on the steering group of the JISC Legal Information Service. Paul regularly runs training courses on copyright, data protection and freedom of information, as well as on internet topics such as the invisible web, and business information on the internet. He maintains an information law weblog at www.paulpedley.com, which is accompanied by a fortnightly newsletter.

Sample chapter http://www.facetpublishing.co.uk/405.pdf
Contents page http://www.facetpublishing.co.uk/405contents.pdf

August 2003; 240pp; paperback; 1-85604-440-8; £29.95