Tuesday April 3, 2001

10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m

• Roberto C. Ferrari, Arts & Humanities Librarian, Florida Atlantic University

Sponsors:

• Academic Library Division; Visual Resources Division

Session 8 supported by Grove Dictionaries

Abstract:

The Disappearing Public Domain: What this means for Art & Creativity, Howard Besser

In the past several years we've witnessed a major effort to overhaul US Intellectual Property law.  Ostensibly in response to technological change, the content industry has engaged in a veritable assault on long-standing public interest practices, including satire, reference, and re-contextualization which lie at the heart of much 20th century art. This presentation will discuss the importance of the "public domain" for artists and scholars, and how its increasingly rapid erosion is likely to curtail creativity and scholarship.  The presentation draws parallels between the disappearance of the public domain and the disappearance of physical public space that has changed our cities.

Now You See It, Now You Don't: The Perils and Practice of Licensing Digital Resources for Art Collections. Sharon Farb, Coordinator for Digital Acquisitions

Licensing of digital content presents new challenges for maintaining long term access for research collections. Time honored rights of fair use, archival and preservation copying, perpetual access, first sale rights and the integrity of digital content are at best negotiable and by no means guaranteed. In addition, publishers and vendors may or may not disclose that digital products are missing content that was contained in the print version.  This presentation will explore current challenges and techniques for licensing digital content with particular emphasis on the implications for art libraries and museum research collections.

Everyday Copyright: Implementation for You and Your Institution, Cheryle T. Robertson

Increased awareness of intellectual property rights has created the need for institutions to develop departments to clear works of art for reproduction. In this session I will speak about how to create policy, structure fees, provide customer service both internally and externally, and build communication networks. I will also discuss some of the everyday issues that arise in a museum's rights and reproductions department.