Abstract
This paper explores the question of under what circumstances CI should seek to control non-commercial reuse of digital cultural works. It describes the results of a 2008 survey of CI professionals at U.S. archives, libraries and museums which gathered data on motivations to control access to and use of digital collections, factors discouraging control, and levels of concern associated with different types of unauthorized reuse. Analysis presents three general themes that explain many of the CI motivations for control:“Controlling descriptions and representations,” “Legal risks and complexities” and “Getting credit: fiscal and social costs and revenue.” It concludes by offering a set of examples of varying levels of reuse control (from none to complete) to serve as heuristics.
Highlights
This paper explores the circumstances under which cultural institutions (CI) should seek to control non–commercial reuse of digital cultural works
It describes the results of a 2008 survey of CI professionals at U.S archives, libraries and museums which gathered data on motivations to control access to and use of digital collections, factors discouraging control, and levels of concern associated with different types of unauthorized reuse
This paper argues that CI should develop a multiplicity of access and use regulations that acknowledge the varying sensitivity of collections and the varying level of risk associated with different types of reuses
Summary
This paper explores the circumstances under which cultural institutions (CI) should seek to control non–commercial reuse of digital cultural works It describes the results of a 2008 survey of CI professionals at U.S archives, libraries and museums which gathered data on motivations to control access to and use of digital collections, factors discouraging control, and levels of concern associated with different types of unauthorized reuse. Other data from this study reported elsewhere show that many CI employ policy and technical tools to control access to and use of digital collections (Eschenfelder and Agnew, 2010; Eschenfelder, 2009) This raises the question of what types of control CI should exert over non–commercial downloading and reuse of digital cultural works. Should explicit permission for reuse be required? What (if anything) should non–commercial users be allowed to do with digital copies of CI collection materials beyond viewing them? What (if any) protection against unauthorized non–commercial reuse should CI enact?
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