This paper concentrates on the identification of the main trends that are visible from a librarian's perspective in the area of copyright management in the digital environment. The first section discusses the expansion of licensing, including reasons for this trend, standards for licenses, and collecting societies (i.e., societies that act on behalf of authors and other rights holders) in the digital environment. The second section addresses libraries as hosting/publishing services, including elements of copyright management, and preservation considerations. While stressing the importance of copyright issues, the conclusion is that management and ownership of digital collections, distributed all over the world, is the only way for libraries to survive and to have a chance to fulfill their mission in the digital environment. (MES)