Cavalier or Careful? How Users Approach the Rights Management Practices of Archival Repositories

Abstract

This article presents the findings of an exploratory study that investigated how users of archival material deal with the copyright-like restrictions that archives place on reuse of their holdings. In interviews with seventeen historians and genealogists, the author explored their awareness of copyright when reproducing archival holdings, their reactions to rights management measures encountered, and the extent to which they want to be educated about copyright. Although study participants are aware of copyright issues, their knowledge is incomplete and sometimes muddled. They are often annoyed by the controls repositories place on reuse and will ignore them. Although some think archives should make more efforts to educate users about copyright, others are not interested in educational efforts that will slow their research.