Managing Orphan Works
Trainer: Naomi Korn Associates
Training: Online - Monday 12th October 2026 - 12.30 to 4pm
Develop strategies to manage and responsibly use orphan works.
How do you handle works where the rights holder cannot be traced?
This half-day intermediate course tackles the challenges of working with orphan works — in-copyright materials where the rights holders are unknown or untraceable. From photographs and letters to films and sound recordings, orphan works are a major concern for heritage organisations, impacting digitisation, publication, and access.
Through practical discussions and strategy planning, you’ll explore the extent of the issue, why orphan works exist, and how to manage them responsibly. Participants will be encouraged to develop next-step strategies tailored to their organisations.
You’ll leave this course with a practical understanding of how to identify, manage, and develop strategies for working with orphan works. You’ll be equipped to make informed decisions that balance legal obligations with access ambitions in your organisation.
This course is ideal for:
Archive, museum and library professionals
Rights managers and legal teams
Digital projects and collections managers
Anyone working with historical collections containing orphan works
Course learning outcomes
Recognise what constitutes an orphan work and why they exist.
Understand the scale of the issue across the cultural heritage sector
Identify approaches to manage and use orphan works responsibly.
Understand the legal and ethical considerations in digitising and publishing orphan works.
Develop next-step strategies for your organisation’s management of orphan works.
Embed best practice in orphan works management within your processes.
The learning outcomes map to the following areas of ARA’s competency frameworks.
Legislation and regulation
Developing self and others
Collections development
Booking and delegate fee: £90 for ARA members, £140 corporate members, £234 non-members
Please note we do not charge VAT.
Eventbrite bookings close 12pm on Thursday 8th October 2026. Joining instructions will be emailed 24 hours before the event. Please check you have received these in advance of the start time so you’re ready to join on the day.
Please book your place here before Thursday 8th October at 12pm