Libraries Unlimited: a Conversation between the New York Public and Cornell University

How do two of the world's greatest libraries make their collections available to New Yorkers? What are their limits, what challenges do they face, and how do they overcome them? Speakers from the New York Public Library and Cornell University will present the way both public and academic libraries are respecting copyright while pushing new boundaries to offer their communities free access to the extraordinary resources under their care.

Gerald R. Beasley is the Carl A. Kroch University Librarian at Cornell University. An English Literature graduate of Oxford University, Gerald was formerly Director of the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library at Columbia University (2004-2008) and has also held leadership positions at the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montreal; Concordia University, Montreal; and University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. He has published and presented on a variety of professional topics including open access, sustainability, and library leadership.   

Greg Cram is the Director of Copyright, Permissions and Information Policy at The New York Public Library. Greg endeavors to make the Library's collections broadly available to researchers and the public to be used to advance knowledge. Greg has helped steer projects through a maze of complex intellectual property issues, including the release of more than 290,000 high-resolution images of public domain collection items. Greg has represented the Library in advocating for better copyright policy and has testified before Congress and the United States Copyright Office.

6:00pm reception; 6:30pm lecture, gratis. Advanced registrations required.