Perceptions of Librarians on the Usefulness of DRM Technology in Protecting against Copyright Violation

• Published in: Library philosophy and practice 2021-01, p.1-20
• Main Author: Mwanzu, Arnold
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Access control; Case studies; Copyright; Digital broadcasting; Digital libraries; Digital media; Digital rights management; E-books; End users; Fair use; Infringement; Internet resources; Librarians; Library and information science; Perceptions; Piracy; Plagiarism; Royalties; Success
• ISSN: 1522-0222

The purpose of the study was to establish the perceptions of librarians on the usefulness of digital rights management systems in digital libraries as mechanisms of securing digital content from copyright violation in order to assess the general usefulness of the DRM technology. The study used Strathmore University library and Moi University Nairobi Campus library as the case studies. A Census was carried out because the population under study was small with a total of 34 respondents. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed in this study. Data analysis was done using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) and the findings presented in form of tables and figures for easy interpretation and understanding. The study established that there exists a positive correlation between the awareness of DRM systems and the use of digital content in Libraries. The study also established that DRM systems limit fair use of information. The respondents felt that DRM systems prevent fair use such as sharing articles and other information from e-resources with colleagues and that it also bars fair use of information since it forces users to access material in small chunks. Finally, the study established some e-books & e-journals are easily downloadable by unauthorized users' despite being locked with DRM technology. The study will benefit the government agencies in charge of copyright and Digital media such as Copyright Society of Kenya in that it will be able to amend and/or create policies that will embrace DRM technologies and discourage copyright infringement in digital libraries. This is because the research outlines the benefits, challenges & loopholes of DRM technologies usage and further gives recommendations on the measures to counter the challenges.