The internet helps enable people worldwide to be creative, develop ideas in conversation, explore new uses of existing content, and make their own. It has opened up pathways for fun uses of copyrighted material generally allowed under law, such as memes and Instagram art, as well as more serious ones, such as news reporting by […]
Read moreThis 9 – 13 May, I attended the 42nd meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Standing Committee on Copyright and Related rights (WIPO SCCR/42 for short). For a week, national delegates, expert panels, and observing civil society organisations (CSOs) like IFLA and rightholder groups discussed the impact of COVID-19; the WIPO African regional group’s proposal for a workplan on limitations and exceptions; broadcast rights; and other odds and ends for some 40+ hours’ worth of meetings, coffee breaks, and side discussions.
Read moreToday marks 10 years since many major websites replaced their landing pages with black blocks or messages, in protest against efforts to pass laws in the United States that would have created dramatic new possibilities to block or otherwise damage websites accused of hosting copyright-infringing works. The Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect Intellectual Property […]
Read moreCommunication is an important part of impact. It allows us to engage more effectively, both with users and with the decision-makers who determine the future of our institutions and profession. Improving our ability to talk about what we do and why it matters is therefore essential. Fortunately, it’s also an area where there is plenty […]
Read moreHappy Open Access Week 2021! How to achieve Open Access – and in particular the theme of this year’s week, ‘it matters how we open knowledge’ – is a question mobilising libraries and library organisations around the world. With the world far from a situation where all scholarly communication is open, and important questions being […]
Read moreIn our two previous posts, we’ve looked at how you can improve discoverability on two specific tools – Wikipedia and maps. However, it is also possible to improve how easy it is for users to find you on the internet in general. You can do this through search engine optimisation (SEO). This does not need […]
Read moreLibraries traditionally benefit from a largely positive public opinion. However, general warmth about libraries as an idea is not the same thing as a clear impression of why our institutions matter so much. Ensuring that people know clearly what they gain from having libraries – and what they would miss if they didn’t – can […]
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