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Practical Copyright for the Modern Information Professional

February 25 – 27, 2025

  • Tue, Feb 25, 11:00 am-12:30 pm CT: Live session with lecture, polling, and breakouts
  • Wed, Feb 26: Homework/Reading day for participants
  • Thu, Feb 27, 11:00 am-12:30 pm CT: Live session with lecture, polling, and breakouts

This workshop is hosted over three consecutive days with an offline work day between the 2 days of sessions and breakouts. Course Instructor asks that you reserve the listed hours for both live instruction and course exercises.

Ticket Cost: $190/ single ticket, $170/ group ticket 

Today librarians, archivists, and other information professionals can hardly escape the conundrum of intellectual property law and licensing. As our work increasingly encompasses copyright-intensive programs and projects, questions arise about topics such as fair use, e-media, digitization, licensing, and, of course, risk. During the height of the pandemic, these long-discussed issues about modern access to library collections came to the forefront. Fortunately, there is a careful balance outlined in the law between copyright and access. And there are several exceptions that can serve as the beginning of robust policy that utilizes these exceptions to increase access. Knowledge of these exceptions can help mitigate risk for institutions. Join Kyle K. Courtney for an interactive workshop exploring some of these critical copyright exceptions underlying these topics, the impact with licensing, and other critical aspects of modern library access.

Following the workshop, participants will be able to: 

  • explain the basics of copyright law, with a focus on library roles in copyright.
  • evaluate a work as copyrightable or unprotectable.
  • determine if a proposed use falls under fair use.
  • empower a library’s use of the special library and archive exceptions in copyright.

AUDIENCE LEVEL: Beginner to Intermediate

PARTICIPATION: Live session with lecture, polling, and breakouts. 

COURSE OUTLINE: To be shared with registered course attendees prior to the course start date.

Meet Your Course Instructor

Kyle K. Courtney
Director of Copyright and Information Policy
Harvard Library

Kyle K. Courtney is a lawyer and librarian serving as the Director of Copyright and Information Policy for Harvard Library. His award-winning “Copyright First Responders” initiative is in its tenth year, and has spread beyond Harvard to reach libraries and archives across the U.S. He has a fellowship at NYU Law’s Engelberg Center on Innovation Law & Policy, is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar, and an advisor to the American Law Institute’s project on the Restatement of Copyright. He is a published author and nationally recognized speaker on the topics of copyright, libraries, and the law. His writing has appeared in Politico, The Hill, Library Journal, American Libraries, and other publications. He co-authored the seminal “White Paper on Controlled Digital Lending (CDL).” In 2020 he co-founded two new non-profit organizations, Library Futures and the eBook Study Group, both which empower libraries to take control of their digital futures. He holds a J.D. with distinction in Intellectual Property Law and an MSLIS.