The “Fair Use Week” idea was first proposed on the Fair Use Allies listserv. It was an outgrowth of the Library Code of Best Practices Capstone Event, held in March 2013, celebrating the development and promulgation of ARL’s Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries.
Not everyone had time to develop and launch a program, but I kept the idea alive for a smaller beta-launch at Harvard.
I launched the 1st Annual Fair Use Week in February 2014 with a week of activities.
After its success, the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) teamed up with me to help organize the 2nd Annual Fair Use Week to promote participation among a broader set of institutions. I thank ARL for its gracious support!
I would also like to thank Pia M. Hunter (University of Illinois at Chicago Library) and Brandon Butler (then Practitioner-in-Residence at Glushko Samuelson IP Clinic, American University, Washington College of Law) who were the originators of the valiant vision to host week-long fair use celebration. I hope our celebration continues to match part of your vision!
Lastly, Emily Kilcer, Project Coordinator at the Office for Scholarly Communication, and overall expert in making everything organized, trouble-free, and fun, is the key ally who really brings celebration together. Each year, the entire week would fail without her expertise – Many thanks!
As I stated in 2014
Hopefully, should this inaugural Fair Use Week at Harvard be successful, we can look forward to a national launch from multiple universities, colleges, libraries, and other institutions next year!
I am happy to say that we have reached that goal and expanded Fair Use Week above and beyond my initial vision.
Many thanks,
- Kyle K. Courtney, Copyright Advisor, @KyleKCourtney or kyle_courtney@harvard.edu