A Personal Message

January 14, 2014

From Kenneth D. Crews, director of the Copyright Advisory Office at Columbia University.

Dear Friends and Colleagues:   I have had the privilege for the past 25 years of devoting much of my career to addressing the copyright issues of importance in education, research, and scholarship.  I now arrive at a time of transition as a convergence of need, desire, and opportunity leads us back to our home city of Los Angeles, California.  The opportunity is to join an established law firm in L.A., where I will be able to provide copyright services for a diverse range of clients.  My dedication to education endures, and in the new position I will continue to serve the needs of universities, libraries, museums, publishers, and other scholarly and cultural organizations.   At the firm, I will be part of an experienced team of legal professionals, including a colleague who successfully argued a major copyright case before the U.S. Supreme Court.  My own work frequently centers on institutional policymaking, contract and license drafting, litigation support, and background studies and analyses for projects and initiatives.  Through the years, I also have led numerous workshops and planning meetings at colleges and universities around the country; I have various campus visits already on the upcoming calendar.   I may be making a move, but I am clearly not leaving the academy.  It has been a privilege to serve as a professor of law, business, and library science.  I continue as a faculty member in an international advanced-degree program in Munich and maintain active ties to Columbia University.  Plans are already underway for the next edition of my book, Copyright Law for Librarians and Educators.  I have striven to offer guidance through the legal maze of copyright with an inside appreciation of the academic mission.

Thank you very much for your interest and support.  A highlight of my work has been learning from you and helping to meet your needs.  I give deepest thanks to my superb colleagues at Columbia University, in the libraries and beyond.  Copyright challenges are becoming more complex and contentious, and I look forward to supporting institutional goals with innovative services.

Sincerely,

Kenneth D. Crews

Future Contact Information:

Gipson Hoffman & Pancione www.ghplaw.com

Email: kcrews107[at]outlook.com