Data fluidity in DARIAH -- pushing the agenda forward

This paper provides both an update concerning the setting up of the European DARIAH infrastructure and a series of strong action lines related to the development of a data centred strategy for the humanities in the coming years. In particular we tackle various aspect of data management: data hosting, the setting up of a DARIAH seal of approval, the establishment of a charter between cultural heritage institutions and scholars and finally a specific view on certification mechanisms for data

Where are all the orphans? How effective is current legislation in enabling cultural heritage institutions to make orphan works available online?

The purpose of this study is to explore whether the current UK legislation on orphan works, in the form of an EU exception and an orphan works license scheme, is effective in enabling the mass digitization of orphan works by cultural heritage organisations. The research covers the barriers faced by cultural heritage organisations wishing to digitize orphan works, the scale of the orphan works problem, the approach taken to orphan works prior to the introduction of the legislation, and the nature of the diligent search requirements of the directive and license scheme. The project uses a mixed methods approach to conduct primary research that explores the extent of adoption of the orphan works schemes amongst cultural heritage organisations. The study took a mixed methods approach combining an online questionnaire with interviews of information professionals with knowledge of digitising orphan works, to capture a mixture of qualitative and quantitative data about the digitisation of orphan works by UK institutions. The study shows that neither scheme has been widely adopted amongst UK cultural heritage organisations with the majority of organisations taking a risk managed approach to digitisation of orphan works. It finds that the requirements for diligent search are a key barrier to the adoption and use of the schemes. It also shows that the cost of clearing rights, diligent search and licensing are a significant obstacle, reflecting previous research in this area. The survey was limited to the UK Cultural Heritage Institutions, and the overall sample size was small. A future study could include views from the Intellectual Property Office and professional bodies such as CILIP. Originality: This is the first mixed methods study into orphan works, since the introduction of the current legislation. It presents a mix of qualitative and quantitative data, which could be built upon in future studies

Electronic Imaging & the Visual Arts. EVA 2012 Florence

The key aim of this Event is to provide a forum for the user, supplier and scientific research communities to meet and exchange experiences, ideas and plans in the wide area of Culture & Technology. Participants receive up to date news on new EC and international arts computing & telecommunications initiatives as well as on Projects in the visual arts field, in archaeology and history. Working Groups and new Projects are promoted. Scientific and technical demonstrations are presented

The Routledge Handbook of Museums, Media and Communication

Museums today find themselves within a mediatised society, where everyday life is conducted in a data-full and technology-rich context. In fact, museums are themselves mediatised: they present a uniquely media-centred environment, in which communicative media is a constitutive property of their organisation and of the visitor experience. The Routledge Handbook of Museums, Media and Communication explores what it means to take mediated communication as a key concept for museum studies and as a sensitising lens for media-related museum practice on the ground. Including contributions from experts around the world, this original and innovative Handbook shares a nuanced and precise understanding of media, media concepts and media terminology, rehearsing new locations for writing on museum media and giving voice to new subject alignments. As a whole, the volume breaks new ground by reframing mediated museum communication as a resource for an inclusive understanding of current museum developments. The Routledge Handbook of Museums, Media and Communication will appeal to both students and scholars, as well as to practitioners involved in the visioning, design and delivery of mediated communication in the museum. It teaches us not just how to study museums, but how to go about being a museum in today’s world

Making digital history: The impact of digitality on public participation and scholarly practices in historical research

This thesis investigates tow key questions: firstly, how do two broad groups - academic, family and local historians, and the public - evaluate, use, and contribute to digital history resources? And consequently, what impact have digital technologies had on public participation and scholarly practices in historical research? Analysing the impact of design on participant experiences and the reception of digital historiography by demonstrating the value of methods drawn from human-computer interaction, including heuristic evaluation, trace ethnography and semi-structured interviews. This thesis also investigates the relationship between heritage crowdsourcing projects (which ask the public to help with meaningful, inherently rewarding tasks that contribute to a shared, significant goal or research interest related to cultural heritage collections or knowledge) and the development of historical skills and interests. It situates crowdsourcing and citizen history within the broader field of participatory digital history and then focuses on the impact of digitality on the research practices of faculty and community historians. Chapter 1 provides an overview of over 400 digital history projects aimed at engaging the public or collecting, creating or enhancing records about historical materials for scholarly and general audiences. Chapter 2 discusses design factors that may influence the success of crowdsourcing projects. Following this, Chapter 3 explores the ways in which some crowdsourcing projects encourage deeper engagement with history or science, and the role of communities of practice in citizen history. Chapter 4 shifts our focus from public participation to scholarly practices in historical research, presenting the results of interviews conducted with 29 faculty and community historians. Finally, the Conclusion draws together the threads that link public participation and scholarly practices, teasing out the ways in which the practices of discovering, gathering, creating and sharing historical materials and knowledge have been affected by digital methods, tools and resources

Out-of-commerce, out of mind: widening public access to out-of-commerce copyright works in film archives through the DSM Directive.

Art. 8 of the EU Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive 2019 addresses the issue of out-of-commerce works, enabling cultural heritage institutions (“CHIs”) to provide public access to these copyright works in certain circumstances. Art. 8 enables CHIs to obtain licences from collective management organisations (“CMOs”), avoiding the need to negotiate with each individual rightholder. Art. 8(2) expands this and enables CHIs to make out-of-commerce works available for non- commercial purposes without seeking the rightholder’s permission where there is no representative CMO. This thesis addresses to what extent Art. 8 can successfully benefit film archives and the existing practices of film archivists in widening public access to film heritage. This research has been conducted using an interdisciplinary mixed-methods approach, utilising doctrinal, comparative and ethnographic methodologies. A doctrinal and comparative legal analysis has been conducted to explore whether the new provisions are compatible with the existing EU copyright acquis and international copyright obligations. An ethnographic study of the national film archives of the UK and the Netherlands, as well as a regional film archive in the UK, was conducted to explore existing film archival practices and how Art. 8 might best be incorporated into these practices. This research makes an original contribution to knowledge through the doctrinal and comparative holistic legal analysis of Art. 8 of the DSM Directive, including proposing a sampling mechanism for use by CHIs in determining if works are out-of-commerce. New empirical data is generated from the ethnographic studies concerning film archives and their copyright archival practices, and how likely they are to make use of Art. 8 within these existing practices. A copyright regime of archival practices is formulated in this thesis, which can be utilised in future research within film archives and CHIs more widely. This thesis makes a conceptual contribution to the existing literature through reframing making out-of-commerce works available as a mechanism to address the historic exclusion of certain communities from the archive, as well as the distortion of the digital skew. In addition, this thesis offers a methodological contribution through the application of a mixed-methodology and practice theory to the field of copyright scholarship and out-of-commerce works. It was found that there are a number of legal and practical issues to incorporation into archival practice. This stems from the meanings, competences and materials present within the film archives, using a practice theory lens. Overall, the doctrinal and comparative legal analysis found that there are issues of ambiguity within Art. 8 that will need to be addressed in the national implementations in order to be successful. The rightholder opt-out presents a fundamental departure from copyright doctrine; and is also incompatible with the desire from film archives to uphold rightholder relationships and avoid reputational harm. However, it was also found that there are many films within the collections of the studied film archives that are likely to be out-of-commerce. If concerns relating to the incorporation of Art. 8 into archival practice can be addressed, this could be a significant step forward in widening public access to cultural heritage

The Digital Public Domain: Foundations for an Open Culture

Digital technology has made culture more accessible than ever before. Texts, audio, pictures and video can easily be produced, disseminated, used and remixed using devices that are increasingly user-friendly and affordable. However, along with this technological democratization comes a paradoxical flipside: the norms regulating culture's use — copyright and related rights — have become increasingly restrictive. This book brings together essays by academics, librarians, entrepreneurs, activists and policy makers, who were all part of the EU-funded Communia project. Together the authors argue that the Public Domain — that is, the informational works owned by all of us, be that literature, music, the output of scientific research, educational material or public sector information — is fundamental to a healthy society. The essays range from more theoretical papers on the history of copyright and the Public Domain, to practical examples and case studies of recent projects that have engaged with the principles of Open Access and Creative Commons licensing. The book is essential reading for anyone interested in the current debate about copyright and the Internet. It opens up discussion and offers practical solutions to the difficult question of the regulation of culture at the digital ag

The Digital Public Domain: Foundations for an Open Culture

Digital technology has made culture more accessible than ever before. Texts, audio, pictures and video can easily be produced, disseminated, used and remixed using devices that are increasingly user-friendly and affordable. However, along with this technological democratization comes a paradoxical flipside: the norms regulating culture's use —copyright and related rights —have become increasingly restrictive. This book brings together essays by academics, librarians, entrepreneurs, activists and policy makers, who were all part of the EU-funded Communia project. Together the authors argue that the Public Domain —that is, the informational works owned by all of us, be that literature, music, the output of scientific research, educational material or public sector information —is fundamental to a healthy society. The essays range from more theoretical papers on the history of copyright and the Public Domain, to practical examples and case studies of recent projects that have engaged with the principles of Open Access and Creative Commons licensing. The book is essential reading for anyone interested in the current debate about copyright and the Internet. It opens up discussion and offers practical solutions to the difficult question of the regulation of culture at the digital age. The free PDF edition of this title was made possible by generous funding received from the European Union (eContentplus framework project ECP-2006-PSI-610001)