Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith retired recently as Michael and Eugenia Wormser Director of Libraries at Colby College.  Prior to Colby, Smith was Dean of Libraries at the University of Kansas, where he also taught copyright in the School of Law.  After he finished a law degree in 1995, Smith founded the office of Copyright and Scholarly Communication at Duke University, where he worked for a decade.  Throughout his career, Smith has focused on how libraries could navigate copyright, especially as they advocate for open access and reform in scholarly publishing. 

Advancing your Career as a Copyright Librarian

What do career paths look like for a librarian and copyright specialist? In this presentation, two experienced library administrators who both worked for many years as copyright librarians will share their advice and experience on topics such as available positions, the pros and cons of tenure versus non-tenure positions, how to leverage your copyright and analytical skills to advance your career, and how to negotiate salaries. This session is ideal for early career librarians or those who want to advance their careers into management and leadership.

In her 20 years at Emory University, Lisa Macklin served as the first director of offices related to copyright and scholarly communications, as Associate Dean of Research, Engagement, and Scholarly Communication, as Interim Dean and University Librarian, and finally as Associate Vice Provost and University Librarian. During her tenure, she has mentored and supervised many librarians.

Kevin Smith spent a decade as the director of copyright and scholarly communications at Duke University Libraries, followed by 6 years as the Dean of Libraries at the University of Kansas, and most recently as Director of the Libraries at Colby College. His broad experience at large comprehensive universities and small liberal arts colleges includes supervising both non-tenure track librarians and tenure-track library faculty.