On 9/13/2013 11:34 AM, Sam Whited wrote:
I will more or less always allow people to copy dances from me...

I will not, however, allow people to copy/photocopy books that I own; a
book to me feels like a much more commercially driven venture, so I
encourage people to go out and buy the book. This is a bit of a fine
distinction (especially because if I have the book, I probably have the
dances written down on a card as well), but it's how my own internal
code of ethics works.

While I'm mostly on board with you on this one, there's one situation in which I feel that allowing someone to rummage through my library of books and copy material is justified, and that is when there's a brand-new caller trying to put together the kernel of a working repertoire. When you're new, it's really hard to know which books you might like (though some, like Larry Jennings's, seem like an obvious place to start), and the financial aspect of acquiring books can also be daunting. It can be a real boost to get access to the library of an established caller for a little while. Not only can you see the range of what's available, you often have that caller hovering around and offering guidance (for better or worse) while you're doing it.

Kalia

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