Virtual Opportunities To Honor Black History Month. With limited in-person celebrations this year due to the pandemic, a number of museums and organizations are offering virtual opportunities to honor Black History Month. Mashable’s Chase DiBenedetto lists out some of the best online exhibits available, such as: Portraits of African Americans at the National Portrait Gallery, Slavery Narratives from the Museum of African Diaspora, and an exhibit titled We Return Fighting by the National Museum of African American History & Culture.
The Growth Of Creator-Economy Platforms. Axios featured a new report by the Knight First Amendment Institute that shows the surge of creator-economy platforms like Patreon, Substack and OnlyFans. According to Axios, the platforms that pay creators are seeing a surge because they are “putting a premium on talent instead of just noise.”
U.S. Should Not Follow EU Copyright Lead. A new post to The Brookings Institution TechTank blog focuses on the EU Copyright Directive and its impact on free expression and privacy. With a thorough analysis of the ways the directive will hurt individual users, the blog concludes with a warning to U.S. lawmakers: “It will be important for legislators in the United States and elsewhere to avoid overly aggressive updates to internet copyright law that would have the unintended consequence of undermining user privacy and free expression.”
The Value Of Libraries During The Pandemic. Recognizing the value of digital content during the pandemic, Washington Post’s Angela Haupt features some of the best virtual success stories from libraries across the D.C. metro area. Libraries adapted to the circumstances and got creative by hosting online classes, author interviews, craft lessons, story time and more. “I really hope to break out of our four-walls mentality to the library being everywhere. There are just so many endless opportunities, even in a virtual setting, that people should avail themselves of,” said one library employee. “The reach that we have now, in terms of our programs, is so extensive,” said another.