From Feb. 23 to 27, 2015, many professionals within the information industry celebrated the second annual Fair Use Week. Similar to Open Access Week, Fair Use Week is a loosely organized, weeklong event during which libraries, universities, museums, archives, and individuals raise awareness about fair use. As explained on the Association of Research Libraries’ (ARL) website, “Fair Use Week is simply a time to promote and discuss the opportunities presented by fair use, celebrate successful fair use stories, and explain the doctrine.” Harvard University’s copyright advisor, Kyle K. Courtney, launched the inaugural event in 2014. After its success, ARL teamed up with Courtney to help organize this year’s Fair Use Week to promote participation among a broader set of institutions.
For this year’s celebration, ARL sponsored an official Fair Use Week website. Highlights from the site include the Fair Use Fundamentals infographic (available for remixing and reuse with a CC BY license) and a well-curated collection of resources about fair use and copyright that others can use, with a general slant toward materials that are relevant to libraries. The resources include a catchy music video about users’ rights from Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, a myth-busting guide to copyright, and a special podcast of Radio Free Culture. The Good News About Library Fair Use, another infographic also available through the site, could be particularly valuable to libraries.
The full recap is available to read on the Information Today website.
