copyright vs publication date

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JamesJenkins
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Post by JamesJenkins »

I am rather new here, I searched for a related discussion and did not find one. If this topic has been discussed before please point me towards it.

I propose that it become the policy of LibriVox that if a reader wants to include the 'copyright date' of a work, they should use 'publication date' while publication date is not synonymous with copyright it is close enough for the intent here. Where 'publication date' can be either the actual date of publication or the listed copyright date, if a separate publication date is not printed in the source material.

There is some reluctance in the community to include 'copyright' date in the reading of works. I can understand why this reluctance exists. Copyright is a legal term, that with the passage of time and the location of those who might care, gets very complicated and confusing.

Librivox only publishes readings where the original work is PD in the USA. LibriVox applies the criteria at viewtopic.php?f=18&t=881 to define PD for new recordings.

While many PD works here are 100+ Years old, many others are only a few decades old. The context of the date a work was published can have an impact on the listeners appreciation for a work.

A story about a trip to the moon written in the 1890s is going to have different expectations for the reader/listener then one written in the 1960's

The same goes for stories about historical events.
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KevinS
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Post by KevinS »

I don't think I've ever heard anyone include in their recording the copyright or publication date unless the publication date is part and parcel of the reading itself (as in the date of an author's forward notes, as one example.)
JamesJenkins
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Post by JamesJenkins »

Here is an example of it being included
Grothmann wrote: November 13th, 2020, 9:08 am From Weird Tales, October 1923
Read by Dale Grothmann
From Short Science Fiction Collection 073-ag
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=83674

I personally have been asked to remove the 'copyright (year)' from a recording, while every other word in the source text was acceptable. (disregarding difference of proof reading standard)
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KevinS
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Post by KevinS »

JamesJenkins wrote: December 7th, 2020, 12:27 pm Here is an example of it being included
Grothmann wrote: November 13th, 2020, 9:08 am From Weird Tales, October 1923
Read by Dale Grothmann
From Short Science Fiction Collection 073-ag
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=83674

I personally have been asked to remove the 'copyright (year)' from a recording, while every other word in the source text was acceptable. (disregarding difference of proof reading standard)
Yes, that's an example of the publication date. I guess that's helpful, but I don't see it as necessary. The problem, perhaps, with including a copyright year is that there is often confusion as to which copyright year one would use.

For my part, I'm satisfied with the manner in which LV points one to the etext, if one is available, which, presumably, has all the information needed for a scholar or for general interest.
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Post by TriciaG »

JamesJenkins wrote: December 7th, 2020, 12:27 pm Here is an example of it being included
Grothmann wrote: November 13th, 2020, 9:08 am From Weird Tales, October 1923
Read by Dale Grothmann
From Short Science Fiction Collection 073-ag
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=83674

I personally have been asked to remove the 'copyright (year)' from a recording, while every other word in the source text was acceptable. (disregarding difference of proof reading standard)
That was a notation of the source it was taken from in the forum. As far as I know, it wasn't read into the recording. And actually, when you go to the source text, you'll see the publication year anyway. :hmm:

You can include it as one of the "keywords" when setting up the project. I have seen that done before. Or you can include it in the written intro/summary. "This moon story, published in 1792, ...."
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annise
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Post by annise »

Weird Tales is a magazine published every month - so its publication date or issue number or some unique identification is surely part of its title?

Anne
david wales
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Post by david wales »

I almost always include the publication date in the description of the works I record. I think this is helpful information that may alert the reader/listener to the cultural environment whence the work comes. When I started recording for librivox I was quite taken aback by the seemingly casual animal cruelty, human exploitation, anti-Semitism, anti Native American, classism, snobbery, etc etc. in 18th and 19th century fiction and nonfiction (well, and 20th century as well!). Also a date helps to think about how the work fits into its milieu; for example, fiction and nonfiction about World War I (one of my interests) will differ whether written in 1914 or 1924. When I am interested in perhaps reading a work I always check the date of publication; it's very useful information. (In another life long ago and far away I was a reference librarian in a medical library. Librarians are hyper sensitive to dates, authors, versions, etc. I was the source librarian for the history of medicine folks so I was even more aware of these things. I guess one can't escape one's past - or even want to. That was a great time in my early life! :D )
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annise
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Post by annise »

David, I think the OP wanted to actually include it in the recording. People are welcome, even encouraged to have informative summaries which help people decide what to listen to.
What I notice in older books is the casual racial slurs - the things not necessary to the story - like the mean, greasy hook-nosed shopkeeper.

Anne
JamesJenkins
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Post by JamesJenkins »

annise wrote: December 7th, 2020, 5:32 pm I think the OP wanted to actually include it in the recording.

Anne
Correct Anne, I am suggesting that it be included in the recording. As an example in collections, there are several works which may span as a century or more.
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