What Is A Library Under the Law (and Why Does it Matter?)

Understanding the law, and how it governs a library’s existence, is central to realizing our mission, vision and values. Libraries in their traditional form have existed for centuries. With the advent of digital technology, libraries have evolved past their physical spaces to new modes of existence, no longer tethered to the traditional four walls of the library building. Beyond this physicality, libraries also exist within legal constructs - ordinances, regulations, statutes and more - which also govern our existence. The “law of libraries” creates both opportunities and limitations related to the libraries’ core mission - to acquire and provide access to the bounty of materials and information that make up culture. This mission includes programs such as preservation, access, digitization, and sharing the fruits of these efforts with patrons, users, researchers, the public, and future generations.

Join us for a lively talk surrounding a forthcoming publication that will briefly discuss the history of libraries through the lens of the law, and also attempt to answer these questions: What makes a library a library? And how does the law define, constrain, and empower libraries to complete their expansive mission? And why does this matter more than ever in the digital age?

Join Library Futures Board Members Kyle Courtney (Harvard University), Tucker Taylor (Journal of Copyright in Librarianship and Education), and Dick Kawooya, PhD. (University of South Carolina) for this lively discussion and presentation.