For what it's worth, I've been using a 'Dust Bug' for years. The company which made them (Acos) is long since defunct, but it shouldn't be too difficult to make one.

It's a flat piece of perspex about the same length as a tone arm, with a small brush and velvet pile roller at the opposite end to the pivot.

The pivot unit is made from a perspex dowel about 18mm in diameter, with a rubber sucker on the base and an adjustable pin for the actual pivot. The pivot unit is fixed diagonally opposite to the tone-arm pivot.

The idea is that you place it on the record just before the tone arm, and it removes the dust as you play.

I've been transferring old vinyls and 78's to my computer hard drive, then writing them onto CD. If you intend to do so, remember that you need RIAA equalisation - simplest way is to use the 'TAPE' output from your hifi amp (if it's 'clean' enough).

Otherwise you'll probably need to buy a DJ mixer, as RIAA preamps are now as rare as rocking horse manure...

As far as legality is concerned, my understanding is you are okay making such a copy provided you own (and keep!) the original disc, and the resulting CD is solely for your own use. In other words, you are producing a backup copy.