Library of Congress Accepting Applications for Copyright Public Modernization Committee

The Library of Congress issued the following press release:

The Library of Congress announced this week that it is convening a public committee to enhance communication with external stakeholders about the technology-related aspects of the U.S. Copyright Office’s ongoing modernization initiative. Applications from qualified members of the public who would like to serve on the committee are being accepted through March 15, 2021. The announcement was published in the Federal Register.

The committee will be managed by the Library’s Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), with support from the U.S. Copyright Office and other Library offices.

“The Copyright Office is reimagining how we operate in the information age, leveraging technology to make it easier than ever to engage with the U.S. copyright system,” said Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights and director of the U.S. Copyright Office. “In addition to our website, webinars, and other public outreach, this new committee offers an ongoing forum to share information and answer questions about technology modernization moving forward at the Copyright Office.”

“Ensuring that the American people have a nimble, state-of-the-art, and efficient copyright system at their service is a top priority for the Library. We’re partnering with the Copyright Office and leveraging user experience design to develop the new Enterprise Copyright System to meet the needs of everyone from copyright experts to those coming online one-time to register their life’s masterwork” said Bernard A. Barton, Jr., the Library’s chief information officer.

Members of the Copyright Public Modernization Committee will provide feedback to the Library on the technology-related aspects of the Copyright Office's modernization initiative, including both Copyright Office IT systems and the broader Library IT systems that interface with or support Copyright Office operations. Volunteer members will be expected to meet in-person or virtually at two open forums a year through the end of the Copyright IT modernization program, expected at the end of fiscal year 2023.

Members of the public interested in participating on the Copyright Public Modernization Committee are asked to submit a current curriculum vitae and a statement of interest addressing the questions identified in the Federal Register no later than March 15, 2021, to [email protected].

More information about the Copyright Office Modernization initiative can be found at copyright.gov/copyright-modernization/.