At the same time, just the mention of the word “copyright” causes what Columbia University librarian emeritus James Neal has called the MEGO (My Eyes Glaze Over) effect. Copyright law is unabashedly confusing, frustrating, in some places intentionally vague, and in others needless prescriptive. Despite centuries-old traditions, the current copyright climate is frequently quarrelsome, with content creators, rights holders, and users often in conflict about what is and is not an exception, a limitation, or an infringement of law, policy, or practice. Place those issues into a technological environment, where information types, devices, formats, delivery mechanisms, and platforms are constantly changing, and it’s not difficult to see that copyright is for nearly everyone a challenge.

Libraries play an important role as a balance point between two major components in this equation, respecting the rights of information owners alongside information users. If you judge this book solely by its cover, the centrality of libraries in the copyright equation is obvious. While library and information professionals understand the importance of copyright to their daily work, most are not fluent in the more complex areas of the law. Questions related to determining fair use and fair dealing, recognizing infringement, knowing how, why, and where to obtain permission if necessary or copyright-free materials as an alternative, and how to instruct others in these details are topics most library administrators, librarians, and staff may be uncomfortable answering.

Although accredited library and information science (LIS) schools mention ethical use of information as a competency, most graduates receive very little focused instruction in copyright. There are a number of both good and not-so-good reasons for this lack of formal preservice training in something that is so integral to all that a library says and does. The reality is that because the skill set needed to succeed as a copyright librarian is broad, and the environments where a specialist might work varied, the path to specialization is generally through networking, professional development, and continuing education.

It is a steep hill to climb to become proficient working with copyright law, but once there a librarian’s skill set and career can truly expand. Going beyond providing assistance and guidance to users, copyright librarians also develop educational programs and events surrounding copyright and fair use, advocate for these programs in a larger community, and occasionally become leading voices in national discussions about copyright reform.

Like many others in these positions, I am a de facto copyright specialist. It’s not part of my job title, and I received little or no instruction in copyright law during my MLS program. I should point that I am also not an attorney and am well aware of the fine line between providing information and giving legal advice. As an access services librarian, copyright questions keep finding their way to my desk. Originally these queries concerned electronic reserves, interlibrary loan, and distance education, but as technology changed, so did the questions. Increasingly, my work has to do with the use of images and other media in learning management systems.

I can remember the moment when a faculty member called to ask how to copy and paste an image scanned from a textbook into a manuscript she was writing and thinking, wait a minute—this is not a word-processing problem. I had reached a point in my career when I simply wanted and needed to know more about the copyrighted materials that generated these questions. At that point, I began looking for continuing education and professional development opportunities that would move me farther along the road to copyright specialization. It has been an extremely interesting and rewarding road to take. When I started, I looked around for information that would aid me in my journey but didn’t find much. I am hopeful that this book will fill the gap I saw at the time and will help those wishing to start, enhance, or change their own career path.