Copyrightlaws.com invites applications from copyright go-to persons in the U.S., Canada, and around the world to be our 2025 Copyright Specialist in Residence.
The virtual residency is designed to encourage exchanges between the Copyright Specialist and our copyright community. The position requires approximately 2 hours per week from 3 March to 30 June 2025. If you’re interested but unavailable during this time period, please apply (and mention your unavailability for this term), and we’ll consider you for a future residency. A small honorarium will be paid to the selected person.
The selected Copyright Specialist may be a Copyright Librarian, Permissions Officer, Scholarly Communications Librarian, or anyone who is the Go-To Copyright or Licensing Person in their organization. Your online duties include:
- Communicating online through Thinkific with students in copyright courses
- Participating in virtual meetings within the Copyrightlaws.com community
- Writing at least one article for publication in the Copyrightlaws.com weekly e-letter and/or on the Copyrightlaws.com website
- Identifying areas for new copyright and licensing courses
The Copyright Specialist in Residence will be a useful credential in advancing your career as a copyright professional. You’ll be a leader in a unique copyright community and gain significant experience as you help others navigate real-world problems in copyright management.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Experience and education in copyright law and/or digital licensing
- [Preferred but not mandatory] Graduate of the Copyright Leadership Certificate, Certificate in Canadian Copyright Law or Certificate in Licensing Digital Content
- A positive and encouraging attitude towards copyright management in for-profit and nonprofit organizations
- Ability to share an objective or balanced view about copyright management
Applications must include the following:
- Cover letter setting out why you’d like this position and what you hope to gain from it (maximum 1 page)
- Curriculum vitae, résumé, or summary of experience and education relating to this position (maximum 3 pages)
- Writing sample that is consistent with the style of articles on Copyrightlaws.com (maximum 1 page; it may be an excerpt from a larger document)
Former Copyright Specialists in Residence
Copyrightlaws.com's first Copyright Specialist in Residence was Erin Gurski (October 2019 to January 2020). Scroll down to see information on applying to be our Copyright Specialist in Residence in 2022!
Photo Credit: Louis Savoie. Used with permission.
Erin brought her unique perspective to Copyrightlaws.com. Now an independent consultant as well as a Teaching Assistant to Copyrightlaws.com, Erin also has experience as the Coordinator and Licensing Agent for Copyright Visual Arts in Ottawa, Canada, and as the Copyright Officer and Advisor of Intellectual Property at the Canadian Museum of History.
Erin completed her residency with Copyrightlaws.com in early January 2020 and left us with the following comments.
My experience as the first Copyright Specialist in Residence for Copyrightlaws.com has come to an end and I can honestly say that it has been equally challenging and rewarding in its opportunities. This position has given me the chance to interact with many copyright professionals throughout the world leading to insightful and, at times, therapeutic conversations about the challenges inherent in the management of copyright and non-copyright-minded colleagues and institutions. It has been wonderful to interact with so many individuals from my field and I am sure I will continue to keep in touch with these new-found colleagues beyond my time with the Copyrightlaws.com team.
I would heartily recommend this residency to anyone interested in both deepening their understanding of copyright management as well as anyone looking to expand their network of fellow copyright professionals. This opportunity is an ideal way to build one’s confidence in their knowledge of all things copyright and continue to learn more about this fascinating area of work. I look forward to seeing who the next Resident will be and where they take this exciting position in the future. Thanks very much to Lesley Ellen Harris and the Copyrightlaws.com team for this wonderful opportunity.
Erin Gurski, Copyrightlaws.com Copyright Specialist in Residence
Drawing from her work experience in both a nonprofit institution and a copyright management society, Erin pursued this residency as an opportunity to further develop her balanced views about copyright management.
First and foremost, I believe this position would be a way for me to share the knowledge I have gained over years of training in copyright, as well as provide me with a chance to learn from those who have had a different experience in this vast field of expertise.
Erin Gurski, Copyrightlaws.com Copyright Specialist in Residence
Erin is the new CEO of Copyrightlaws.com and is a graduate of the following courses:
- Certificate in Canadian Copyright Law
- Certificate in Licensing Digital Content
- Developing a Copyright Policy or Guidelines
- Developing a Copyright Education Strategy (now called 21 Virtual Ways to Build Copyright Awareness in Your Library or Organization)
Copyrightlaws.com's second Copyright Specialist in Residence was Lauren Bourdages from February to April 2020.
Lauren brought her own unique perspective to the Copyright Specialist in Residence role. While acting as our specialist in residence, she was the Copyright and Reserves Supervisor at Wilfrid Laurier University. And, she has a long-standing history of working in virtual roles and managing online communities.
I am hopeful that in this role I would be able to share my experiences with current students to help them further their own understanding and explore the wider world of copyright.
— Lauren Bourdages
Lauren is also a graduate of Copyrightlaws.com's Certificate in Canadian Copyright Law, Becoming the Copyright Specialist in Your Library (ALA), Introduction to Open Educational Resources (OERs) (Library Juice Academy), and CopyrightX (Harvard Law School).
About the Copyright Specialist in Residence Role
We designed this virtual residency to encourage exchanges between the Copyright Specialist and the Copyrightlaws.com copyright community.
If you’re interested in applying to the 2025 Copyright Specialist in Residence program, please contact us.
