As well as agreeing with all the concerns that others have already
expressed, I think the sites creators are treading a razor's edge legally by
copying complete pages onto their own site.
Looking at the three sites they mention, Bolton at least has a copyright
notice that clearly prohibits the copying of part of their site without
permission (which I'm assuming the Museum Webguide did not get, although of
course I could be wrong). With Neath, they have used 'deep linking' (not
linking to a home page) which is certainly frowned upon, is currently being
debated in court as part of the Napster case, and has already been declared
illegal in the Netherlands.
I think this highlights the importance of the copyright of our website for
all of us. The excellent 'Guide to Copyright for Museums & Galleries' by
Wienand, Booy and Fry includes a short section on copyright and the internet
with some suggestions on how museums can protect themselves (and a good rant
from all of us at MCG probably helps too!).
Philippa Tinsley
Collections Manager, Wolverhampton Art Gallery
-----Original Message-----
From: Nick Poole <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 22 May 2001 14:57
Subject: Museum Webguide
>Dear All,
>
>Just to throw my lot in as well, I am extremely uncomfortable with the
>approach taken by the Museum Webguide, and also with the apparently
>deliberate anonymity of the site's creators. The site itself is far from a
>textbook example of good practice in web design, and I am concerned about
>the authority and criteria with which the sites have been selected.
>
>While the aim of encouraging museums to develop high-quality websites is
>laudable, I really don't feel that this is the best way to go about it,
>particularly since, as Ian Rowson has pointed out, there are serious
>financial implications for any organisation in developing an online
>presence. The current approach can only undermine the creators of the sites
>in question. I would encourage Ian Crawley to contact the list again and
>provide more information about his intentions in creating the
>museum-webguide.co.uk site, his links with either museums or professional
>web design, and how he hopes to create a useful dialogue with the sector to
>achieve his stated intention.
>
>All the best!
>
>Nick Poole
>ICT Adviser
>Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries
>16 Queen Anne's Gate
>London
>SW1H 9AA
>
>Tel 020 7273 1410
>
>Website - http://www.resource.gov.uk
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