circulating commercial music CDs in a school library - via MP3 player

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• January 28, 2010 @ 4:52pmjpickett says:

  I want to purchase music CDs and allow high school student patrons listen to the music while they are in the library working. No removal from the library.
  
  I want to transfer the purchased album to an MP3 player and store the physical CD, NOT circulating it. Only the digital file would be "checked out," to one patron at a time, to avoid duplicate borrowing.
  
  Does this avoid infringement?
  If not, what other options might I have?
  
  (Students come into the library with laptops, so physical CD check-out opens up opportunities to rip the music -- hence the MP3 player without transfer cords).
  
  Thanks for any insight you can offer.
• January 28, 2010 @ 6:35pmFreya Anderson says:

  Although the students might commit copyright infringement with CDs, I think that the library would be safer with that option, since at least the library is not infringing (well, most agree this, although I did read about someone who was threatened for selling used CDs, but let's not go there). I think that copying the CDs in this context would likely be considered infringing and not fair use. It might be different in some circumstances, for example, if were for a specific class and the songs weren't available for download, or if the CDs were degrading and could not be repurchased.
  
  If you really want to check out loaded MP3 players, perhaps you could load them with legally downloaded songs.
• January 28, 2010 @ 6:43pmjpickett says:

  Okay, to clarify: by "legally downloaded" songs you mean purchased songs that are already in digital format and which would reside naturally in an environment such as an MP3 player. Right?
  
  Thanks!

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