Library information provider OCLC Research, US, has announced that the 'Well-intentioned practice (WIP) for putting digitized collections of unpublished materials online,' has been endorsed as a standard by the Society of American Archivists (SAA) Council.
Prepared by OCLC Research, this practice provides the framework for an assertive approach to digitisation of unpublished archival materials, such as photographs, letters, or the records of an organisation's work, whose rights holders are often difficult to identify and contact. It promotes a practical approach to identifying and resolving rights issues that is in line with professional and ethical standards and emphasises a collective approach to the management of the copyright responsibilities involved in large-scale digitisation projects.
This approach is the output of a 2010 seminar in which OCLC Research convened a group of experts in archives, special collections and law to develop streamlined, community-accepted procedures for managing copyright in the digital age that would cut costs and boost confidence in libraries' and archives' ability to increase access to unpublished materials online.
The group acknowledged that, although there is risk in digitising materials that may be in copyright, this risk should be balanced with the harm to scholarship and society inherent in not making collections fully accessible. Based on this premise, they identified a practical approach to selecting collections, making decisions, seeking permissions, recording outcomes, establishing policy and working with future donors, which was outlined in the 'Well-intentioned practice' document. Since then, a community of practice has been forming around the WIP that will increase and significantly improve access to collections of unpublished materials for the purpose of furthering research and learning.
The 'Well-intentioned practice for putting digitized collections of unpublished materials online' document is available online.
By endorsing WIP as a standard, SAA joins a distinguished group of organisations and individuals that support the practices outlined in the WIP. Other organisations that have joined the community of practice by endorsing these procedures include the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section (RBMS) of the American Library Association (ALA), the Joint National Committee on Archives, Libraries and Museums (CALM), and the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA).
Search for more Industry study reports
To access our daily STM news feed through your iPhone, iPad, or other smartphones, please visit www.myscoope.com for a mobile friendly reading experience.
