Libraries' Providing Free Electronic Access to Out-of-Print Book

News item published on: 2021-07-12 11:19:00

University Libraries is providing free electronic access to Inland Fishes of Mississippi, an out-of-print book written in 2001 by Dr. Stephen T. Ross, professor emeritus of biological sciences. Inland Fishes of Mississippi remains a valuable resource for educators at Southern Miss and is now available through Aquila, the University’s institutional repository.

Dr. Jake Schaefer, professor in the School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, reached out to University Libraries to inquire about the possibility of creating an electronic copy of Ross’ book that could be used by his students. He also inquired about the possibility of making the electronic copy publicly available with the copyright holder’s permission.

This led to a collaborative effort between the Libraries’ Digital Lab, which scanned a physical copy of the book, and Aquila staff, who reached out to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) to secure the necessary permissions to upload the book to Aquila. MDWFP, which owns copyright of Ross’ book, agreed to make the scanned book available electronically through a Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution license.

For more information, contact Josh Cromwell, scholarly communications manager, at 601.266.6200 or .