Building Copyright Confidence Through Community

A working knowledge of copyright is essential for academic library staff at all levels if they are to effectively support their users. However, it is an area that causes anxiety amongst staff who often feel underprepared to deal with the questions they receive. The Covid-19 pandemic and the corresponding online shift has highlighted the need for embedded copyright expertise but how do academic libraries equip their staff with the copyright knowledge they need and (perhaps crucially) give them the confidence to use it? Although formal training is available, copyright is a changeable area requiring ongoing education which is no longer practical in the age of limited training budgets. This case study of the approach at Cambridge University Libraries explores some of the potential reasons for staff apprehension around copyright, the range of copyright knowledge and skills needed in an academic library and how a collaborative approach has helped to increase the copyright confidence of staff across the institution. This article has been written by Claire Sewell, Research Support Librarian at the University of Cambridge.