The University Libraries at Virginia Tech will host Brandon Butler, director of information policy at the University of Virginia Library, as its Open Access Week keynote speaker.

On Oct. 23 at 4:15 p.m. in Newman Library's multipurpose room, Butler will present “What’s the Big Deal? How and Why Institutions Around the World are Rethinking Their Biggest Journal Bundles."

For the last two decades, research institutions have been buying published research the same way many consumers have been buying television programming: in big bundles. Like big cable packages, these bundles have become bloated with unwanted content and subscription prices have exploded. During his presentation, Butler will discuss why the global research community is increasingly serious about cutting the cord and how open access is both the foundation for this move and the next step in the process.

Butler serves as the first director of information policy at the University of Virginia Library. He provides guidance and education to the UVA Library and its user community on intellectual property and related issues, and advocates on the library’s behalf at the federal, state, local, and campus level.

Butler is the author or co-author of a range of articles, book chapters, guides, and presentations about copyright, with a focus on libraries and the fair use doctrine. Before coming to UVA, Brandon taught copyright and supervised student attorneys in the IP Law Clinic at American University, and advocated for research libraries around the country at the Association of Research Libraries. He received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2008.  

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