University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, on behalf of the Triangle Research Libraries, will build on the success of a previous IMLS Library Copyright Institute (LCI) Planning Grant to scale this model of sustainable, comprehensive copyright education for academic librarians across the United States. Refined in North Carolina, and piloted in other regions of the country, the project team will firmly establish this regularized, comprehensive, introductory copyright training for librarians through a model with a sustainable, long-term future. Although copyright impacts libraries of all types, typically only the highest funded institutions have well-trained copyright experts on staff. However, library staff at all institutions, regardless of financial wherewithal, need this expertise to meet the needs of their user communities. Over the period of the award, this project will establish this regularized copyright training, host a minimum of six additional LCIs, and host a minimum of three specialized, advanced-level training sessions focused on specific topics in librarianship such as music copyright or open education. Ultimately, the goal is to empower librarians across the country with the legal knowledge necessary to serve the needs of their patrons, whether they be students, faculty, public users, or others.