| The purpose of this research is to study the factors influencing the attitude of male academic librarians towards copyright laws in Saudi Arabia. The Tripartite Model is used to evaluate the overall attitude of academic librarians, defined in terms of three main components: feelings, beliefs, and behaviors. Five independent variables that may affect this attitude are investigated: level of education, domain of practice, position, professional experience, and academic librarians' knowledge of copyright laws as measured by six pre-selected questions (knowledge Index). The knowledge Index is also later measured against the four other independent variables. Seven major universities were chosen, and 201 male academic librarians participated in this study. A survey method is adopted for collecting data, and a quantitative approach is used to measure the relationship between attitude and the independent variables. The results reveal that academic librarians in Saudi Arabia have a positive attitude, but inadequate knowledge, regarding copyright laws. Only one independent variable---the level of education---is found to be related to the belief component of attitude. While the level of knowledge based on the knowledge Index does not affect attitude, it is correlated with levels of education, experience, and position. This study demonstrates the need for improving librarians' education and training in Saudi Arabia regarding copyright laws. It also reveals the importance of librarians' input in copyright laws. |
