Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for Digitisations


One of the major elements of the MCLRN and IPRIA research project, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Digitising Collections in Public Museums, Galleries and Libraries, has been the development of guidelines for digitisation specifically written for the sector by Peter Hirtle, Emily Hudson and Andrew Kenyon.

Copyright And Cultural Institutions: Guidelines For Digitization For U.S. Libraries, Archives, And Museums

Peter B. Hirtle, Emily Hudson, and Andrew T. Kenyon
Ithaca , NY : Cornell University Library Press, 2009

Digital communications technologies have led to fundamental changes in the ways that cultural institutions fulfil their public missions of access, preservation, research, and education. Institutions are developing publicly-accessible websites in which users can visit online exhibitions, search collection databases, access images of collection items, and in some cases create their own digital content. Digitization, however, also raises the possibility of copyright infringement. "Copyright and Digitization" aims to assist understanding and compliance with copyright law across libraries, archives, and museums. It discusses the exclusive rights of the copyright owner, the major exemptions used by cultural heritage institutions, and stresses the importance of risk assessment when conducting any digitization project. It also includes two cases studies, examining digitizing oral histories and student work.

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Earlier Publication

Two versions of the earlier publication about Australian Copyright Law are available for download as PDFs: Short Guidelines for Digitisation and a full set of Guidelines for Digitisation.