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- UF Digital Collections (UFDC)
- Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC)
- Caribbean Newspaper Digital Library (CNDL)
- Florida Digital Newspaper Library
- Institutional Repository @UF
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Digital Library Center
Smathers Libraries
University of Florida
P.O Box 117003
Gainesville, FL 32611 USA
P: 352.273.2900
F: 352.846.3702
DLC@uflib.ufl.edu
Digital Library Center: Rights & Responsibilities
The Digital Library Center's core mission is supporting preservation and access. The digitization of materials using digital preservation and library standards supports long-term preservation and the posting of openly accessible materials online supports access. The Digital Library Center further supports preservation and access by ensuring that all applicable rights are respected and supported by seeking Internet distribution permissions as needed. Internet distribution permissions can be required for cultural and documentary heritage rights, privacy rights, and copyright. See below for links to additional information and resources.
Digital Library Center & Copyright
Copyright is a property right that seeks to balance the rights of the creator with the rights of the global society. Copyright is but one of many rights and responsibilities that must be considered when digitizing materials. Digitization makes use of new and emerging technologies, technologies whose use may not yet have applicable laws supporting their use for the gobal public good.
The Digital Library Center observes United States copyright legislation (title 17, U. S. Code). Assistance interpreting copyright legislation is provided by the Copyright Office in the Library of Congress. The Center's projects target resources published outside of as well as inside the United States of America. The Center's staff observes whichever affords the greatest protections: either the laws of the United States or the laws of the country of origin.
Additionally, at least one of our projects, the Digital Library of the Caribbean, accepts resources from foreign partners. It is the responsibility of those partners to observe the copyright laws of their home country or the country of origin, whichever affords the greatest protections.
Copyright Permissions
- Internet Distribution Permissions: Guidelines and permission forms for digital distribution rights (all in Word format).
- Grant of permissions:
- Donor Registry
- Try to refer the donor to Gifts & Exchange
- Use the Gifts Donor Registry along with the permissions form for any donated materials (English)
- Use donor form for gift materials
- Email a letter of thanks (and copy G&E)
Newspaper Permission Letters for Access to Physical Copies:
In order to digitize newspapers, access to the physical copies and permissions from the copyright holders are required. These are the letters defining usage for borrowed newspapers, and they are followed by the letter templates for newspapers to grant Internet Distribution Permissions.
| Physical copy lending agreements | Grant of Internet Dist. Permissions |
| Lending Agreement (English) | Digital Distribution Permissions Consent Form (English) |
| Accord de Prêt pour la Numérisation (French) | Contrat de Distribution Numérique (French) |
| Acuerdo de Préstamo para la Digitalización (Spanish) | Digital Contrato de Distribución (Spanish) |
| For newspapers born digital, the digital files inquiry email is also used. | |
Resources on Copyright
- Cornell's two page guide to determining whether a work is in copyright.
- Stanford's Copyright Renewal Database for checking the status of works published between 1923-1978.
- Stanford's Copyright and Fair Use list of charts and tools
- Copyright for Stamps (pre-1977 US stamps in the public domain)
- Copyright Navigator, an annotated concept map for copyright fundamentals
- Copyright Slider for works first published in the USA
- Brief language aids for the identification of copyright statements in non-English languages.
- ARL Statistics for Electronic Resources
- WATCH (Writers Authors and Their Copyright Holders) Database
- General information for UF Authors on on contributing your resources, how to retain your rights...
- Orphan Works, Copyright Code Section 108
- UNC's statement of due diligence
- Dance Heritage Coalition, Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use of Dance-related materials (local copy)
- Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums
- 2009-present developments in restored copyrights
- List of Countries' Copyright Length and list of parties to international copyright agreements with dates
Resources on Other Applicable Rights
- International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Statutes (inc. "endorsement of the principles of freedom of access to information, ideas and works of imagination and freedom of expression embodied in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights" as a core value)
- IFLA, Safeguarding our Documentary Heritage
- UNESCO: Ethical imperative for preservation of cultural materials ; Cultural Heritage Laws Database; inc.
- ICA, Code of Ethics for Archivists
- ICOM, Code of Ethics for Museums
- ICOMOS, Ethical Commitment Statement
- CAC, Ethical Code for Cultural Property
- World Summit on the Information Society: Civil Society Declaration
- Ethics of Exhibiting Culturally Sensitive Materials Online
- Code of Ethics for Museums
- Code of Ethics for Archivists
- Oral History Association Evaluation Guide (esp. Responsibility for Sponsoring and Archival Institutions)
- WIPO on Traditional Cultural Expressions (examples of TCE: tales, symbols, songs, dances, rituals, crafts, etc)
- State of Florida laws on materials loaned to cultural heritage institutions and then abandoned by the lender
- Florida Museum of Natural History Code of Ethics
- Harn Museum of Art Code of Ethics
- UF Policies & Guidelines: Web ; Privacy (inc. FERPA); Office of Information Technology; OIT on copyright complaint procedure; all other policies, rules, and regulations of the University of Florida and the State of Florida
