Increasingly, libraries need to have a solid base of legal information to permit a more precise understanding of the legal framework in which their main product –information – is situated. The industry related to scholarly, cultural and artistic creation has consistently gained in economic prominence: this has led governments to develop new rules to guarantee protection to this very important sector. The arrival of new technologies has obliged national legislators to guarantee the defence of the legitimate rights of the authors against the possibility of new products and services being based on their works. Traditionally, libraries did not have to worry much about these questions since, as non-profit organisations devoted to the promotion of reading, cultural information and research collaboration, their activities supposedly did not infringe on the normal exploitation of works protected by copyright. For the past decade, with the arrival of electronic information library personnel have been confronted by the need to negotiate licences, defend the incorporation of clauses that they consider essential, understand what they can or cannot do with the resources acquired, answer questions of users concerned by the issue of document copying, etc. This article attempts to respond to the most frequent questions that a librarian might ask about copyright. The author advises, however, that he is not a legal expert and that the information is provided solely for orientation. Some questions are not answered directly, since it would require interpreting the specific meaning of the law and so generalisation is not possible.