commercial partners. When it comes to rare and unique materials, libraries and archives should be able to negotiate from a position of strength, which will be enhanced if we approach this collectively. Simply put, can we resist the temptation to enter into special deals for special collections digitization that may offer short-term gains but ultimately be of disservice to our institutions and our users? At the May 2009 ARL Membership Meeting, approximately 100 member directors participated in a real-time survey that involved the use of clickers and a set of questions focusing on multi-institutional collaboration. Among questions posed was one in which they were asked whether they would be “willing to commit my institution to forego one-on-one arrangements with commercial entities around digitization of special collections materials in favor of collective arrangements involving multiple research libraries.” Their responses were encouraging: 89% of audience members either strongly agreed (56%) or agreed (33%) with this statement. Only 11% disagreed and only 1% strongly disagreed. What might be considered critical in collective arrangements governing contracts for the mass digitization of special collections? Following the May ARL meeting, a number of us started a list of principles and came up with nine. I want to acknowledge especially the work of Peter Hirtle (Cornell) who drafted these statements and Madelyn Wessel (University of Virginia) who provided invaluable comments. Thanks RLI 267 21 The Collaborative Imperative: Special Collections in the Digital Age ( C O N T I N U E D ) DECEMBER 2009 RESEARCH LIBRARY ISSUES: A BIMONTHLY REPORT FROM ARL, CNI, AND SPARC Principles to Guide Large-Scale Digitization of Special Collections Principle 1: Distinct collections demand extra vigilance in digitization. Principle 2: Libraries must respect any donor-imposed restrictions on the digitization and use of materials. Principle 3: Libraries should seek the broadest possible user access to digitized content. This includes patrons of other libraries and unaffiliated researchers. Principle 4: Libraries should receive copies of all digital files generated from their collections, with the option for complete local access to the files (to the extent that copyright law allows). Principle 5: Any enhancements or improvements to the digitized content should be shared on a regular basis with the supplying library. Principle 6: Restrictions on external access to copies of works digitized from a library’s holding should be of limited duration. Principle 7: Libraries should refrain from signing nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) as part of digitization negotiations. Principle 8: Libraries should ensure that the confidentiality of users is protected in the vendor’s products. Principle 9: Libraries should refrain from charging fees or royalties for access to or non-commercial use of public domain materials held in their collections. The author wishes to acknowledge the work of Peter B. Hirtle, Senior Policy Advisor, Cornell University Library, in developing this set of principles.
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