Sam Crutcher participated in the Illinois in Washington program as a Historical Public Records Intern at the United States Copyright Office, where he worked on digitizing and organizing archival copyright records. As a pre-law student interested in entertainment law, the experience deepened his understanding of copyright policy and connected him with attorneys working in the field.
My name is Sam Crutcher, and this summer I worked at the United States Copyright Office as a Historical Public Records Intern through the Illinois in Washington program. This is a snapshot of my experience!
When I got admitted to IIW, I was ecstatic. I had maybe sent out 15 applications at that point, and while I hadn’t heard back from any of them, I was incredibly optimistic about my prospects. I’d been warned about the difficulty of securing a summer internship, but there’s nothing quite as humbling as sending out 40 applications and hearing back from only 10 programs, 80% were rejections. Thankfully, the Copyright Office was more than happy to take me in and accommodate all my needs. Having an interest in Copyright and hoping it was niche enough to have a small applicant pool, I was able to find an opening not through any job boards, but through their website. From there, I interviewed, and it was smooth sailing, but the journey to secure a job, especially in this current political climate, was quite brutal.
Now would be a good time to mention that the job was unpaid. However, my experience was priceless. Working in the Copyright Office was surreal. I’d taken a class on it the prior semester, so getting to DC and then getting to see all of what I’d been studying in action was one thing, but becoming a part of the process was even better. My primary tasks all revolved around digitizing records; the Copyright Office holds all records of copyright registration spanning from the late 1800s to today in a variety of formats. With modern technology, the office is taking the initiative to make all of these records publicly available, which is quite difficult considering there are millions upon millions of records. I helped out by correcting metadata errors found in digitizing the Card Catalog, helping maintain an accurate inventory of the office’s microfilm records, conducting quality assurance on scanned Copyright Record Books, and more. However, the most valuable thing I gained from my experience at the office didn’t have much to do with the job I was doing, but more so with the opportunities for networking and friendship that being in a federal office provided.
I’m a pre-law student with interest in pursuing entertainment law, hence why I became involved with copyright in the first place, and my internship allowed me to connect with the Copyright Office’s Office of General Council, who is responsible for managing all of the Office’s litigation needs and policy needs (i.e. advising congress on Copyright related subjects). It was really cool to learn about Copyright Law at school and then get to sit down with the guys who helped create the law. The attorneys in the office were more than happy to chat with me about how I should approach law school as someone interested in the music industry, what careers are available in the field, and what they learned going through the paths themselves. These conversations weren’t necessarily related to my Records Integration job, but this job opened the door for me to connect with these lawyers who are passionate about the same things as me!
Overall, my time in DC taught me so much about not just copyright and law school, but about the federal system as a whole. I made sure to maximize my time by talking to everyone I could, visiting museums, and enjoying the city’s nightlife as well, making the IIW experience experiential learning at its peak. I would not have wanted to spend my summer any other way!
Student Blog Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in student blog posts are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Illinois in Washington Program, the University of Illinois, or its staff and affiliates.