For a different perspective from a different field, MCN-L readers might be interested in a forthcoming paper from John Overholt addressing the future of special collections in libraries. It is called "Five theses on the future of special collections," and a preprint is found at http://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/10601790/overholt.pdf.
One of his five theses speaks precisely to the issue of permissions. It begins this way: The future of special collections is openness. We are not the creators of our collections; we are their stewards. They were entrusted to us to preserve them, certainly, but preservation without use is an empty victory. It ought to be our primary purpose at all times to minimize barriers to use, so it is all the more shameful when we interpose such barriers ourselves, not out of concern for the health of the collections, but out of the misguided belief that we are entitled to control, even to monetize, their use. When we claim copyright over our digital collections, or impose permission fees or licensing terms on users, we are arguably misrepresenting the law, and certainly violating one of the central ethical tenets of the profession: to promote the free dissemination of information. It would seem to me that image permissions would be much simplified if only permission of the copyright owner had to be secured (and then only if the use was not a fair use). Peter Hirtle > -----Original Message----- > From: mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu [mailto:mcn-l-bounces at mcn.edu] On Behalf > Of Deborah Wythe > Sent: Friday, May 24, 2013 3:59 PM > To: mcn-l at mcn.edu > Subject: Re: [MCN-L] Permissions > > I don't think there's any way around the wide variety of charges and > procedures, but I was struck by the frustration of the writer, who clearly had > never done image acquisition before. It's a skill, just like any other. > Filling in > for our R&R coordinator, I've learned just how many emails it can take to get > all the information we need to help them. > > I've often wondered if there was a way to connect museum staff with art > history grad programs to get this topic on their curriculum. Shouldn't every > budding writer have a brief tutorial on copyright, image acquisition, image > quality, etc? > > Then again, when I was in grad school and suggested to my advisor that we > put together a guide to doing primary source research, he put me off, saying > that we should all be figuring it out ourselves and that was one way they > sorted the wheat from the chaff. > > I won't address the differing policies and prices -- that's a different (and > difficult topic) -- but putting chocolate on our fee schedules is an > interesting > concept. > > Deborah Wythe > Brooklyn Museumdeborahwythe at hotmail.com > > > From: lesleyeharris at comcast.net > > Date: Fri, 24 May 2013 12:06:38 -0400 > > To: mcn-l at mcn.edu > > Subject: Re: [MCN-L] Permissions > > > > Whoops--article is at > http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/comment/opinion/opinion-snap- > decisions/2003969.article. > > > > > > On May 24, 2013, at 12:05 PM, Lesley Ellen Harris > <lesleyeharris at comcast.net> wrote: > > > > This article on obtaining permissions from museums will be of interest to > MCN members. > > > > Lesley > > > > lesley at copyrightlaws.com > > www.copyrightlaws.com > > > > _______________________________________________ > > You are currently subscribed to mcn-l, the listserv of the Museum Computer > Network (http://www.mcn.edu) > > > > To post to this list, send messages to: mcn-l at mcn.edu > > > > To unsubscribe or change mcn-l delivery options visit: > > http://mcn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mcn-l > > > > The MCN-L archives can be found at: > > http://toronto.mediatrope.com/pipermail/mcn-l/ >
