Basic Copyright for Library Staff

Copyright is an ever-present and constantly evolving challenge for library staff. If you’re new to copyright, it can be hard to know where to start. In this event, copyright librarian Sara Benson will guide you through the basics.

You will learn about how a copyright is formed, when to register a work, how to calculate copyright term length, library limitations and exceptions, and fair use. The webinar will include opportunities for the exploration of hypothetical situations that come up in libraries as well as tools and resources librarians can use to understand copyright.

After this webinar, participants will:

• Understand basic copyright concepts, including copyright length and the public domain.
• Know when Section 108 limitations and exceptions apply to library digitization and lending.
• Be able to conduct a basic fair use analysis for library work.

Sara R. Benson is the copyright librarian and an associate professor at the Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds a JD from the University of Houston Law Center, an LLM from Boalt Hall School of Law at Berkeley, and an MSLIS from the School of Information Science at the University of Illinois. Prior to joining the library, Sara was a lecturer at the University of Illinois College of Law for ten years. Sara is the host of the Podcast ©hat (“Copyright Chat”), available on iTunes.

This event will be hosted in Zoom. Automatic captions will be enabled for this event. This event will be recorded, and registrants will receive access to the recording within a day after the event ends.

If you have questions or requests regarding accessibility, contact us at ce@ala.org or at 312-280-5100.