A quick thought on copyright, though the issue is (of course) mentioned in my book at some length (paras 5.1.14, 5.3.20-21).
At TNA, the other national archives and wherever the records concerned are public records, we benefit from an exception to copyright that permits the making of a copy for any purpose so long as the copying is done by or with the authority of an officer appointed under the relevant Act. So long therefore as there has been some general approval given (probably by the archivist in charge) for self-service copying, that copying should not of itself infringe. What the user does with the copy thereafter is of course another matter, but that is the user's affair, not the archivist's.
For non-public records, the copying must be under a relevant exception, most likely fair dealing for the purposes of non-commercial research or private study, or perhaps use for an examination (eg in a thesis). The record office must provide clear but general advice to readers on what the exceptions permit, to prevent the possibility of the archivist being sued for authorising an infringement. Libraries all have posters on the wall beside public copiers; archives must do the same or provide leaflets to readers who are using cameras.
Tim
---------------
Tim Padfield
Copyright Officer and Information Policy Consultant The National Archives
+44 (0)20 8392 5381
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
-----Original Message-----
From: Archivists, conservators and records managers. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dave Caroline
Sent: 05 May 2011 15:17
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Use of digital cameras by researchers
The digital camera has made data gathering so much easier, I have taken a few hundred pictures at a sitting.
Later transcribing the information into a database, it seriously reduces my need to handle the document.
I cannot make silly errors on paper then need to return, I can work at my own pace.
For the archive I can give back a transcribed file.
On Thu, May 5, 2011 at 2:51 PM, Mark Forrest <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> At Dorset we have a £7 per day permit - good uptake and few (if any)
> complaints about cost.
>
> It is worth thinking about document handing - particularly for fragile
> or "springy" documents which will not lie flat. Researchers who would
> normally be happy to comply with all handling guidelines tend to get
> their
Explain how easy it is to use open source free software to fixup any image later.
I use gimp.
Dave Caroline
> irons out and try to flatten anything for the perfect shot !
>
>
> *******************************************************************
>
> Dr Mark Forrest
> Dorset History Centre
> Bridport Road
> Dorchester
> Dorset
> DT1 1RP
>
> Telephone: 01305 250550
> Direct Line: 01305 228924
> Web address: www.dorsetforyou.com/archives
>
> Dorset History Centre Opening Hours
> Monday Closed
> Tuesday-Friday: 9am ? 5pm
> Saturday: 9am ? 4.30pm
>
>
>
>
> Sophie Cawthorne <[log in to unmask]> Sent by: "Archivists,
> conservators and records managers."
> <[log in to unmask]>
> 05/05/2011 14:30
> Please respond to
> Sophie Cawthorne <[log in to unmask]>
>
>
> To
> [log in to unmask]
> cc
>
> Subject
> Re: Use of digital cameras by researchers
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Charging as much as £10 may not be appropriate for every service, but
> I do think that allowing the use of photography is a great way to
> generate some badly needed income, particularly in small services like
> ours. Some may not have thought our charge was 'reasonable' but we've
> never had anyone unwilling to pay!
>
>
> Date: Thu, 5 May 2011 14:12:39 +0100
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Use of digital cameras by researchers
> To: [log in to unmask]
>
> Sophie Cawthorne's comment about income and charging perhaps needs a
> caveat - especially at the higher end of the charging range. At £10 a
> day, some readers will want to batch their photography rather than
> take pictures when they first see material - getting items out again
> on a day when they know they will have enough material to photograph
> to justify the expense. That means more staff time on production, more
> wear and tear, and so on - and so might become counter-productive to
> the service. Keep the charge reasonable, and people will be happy to
> pay even if (as I did
> recently) they only take a couple of photos on any given visit.
>
> Margaret Procter says "searchers are now often using their time in the
> searchroom primarily to *collect* data for later analysis". Absolutely
> right, but hasn't this always been the case? I hope this isn't
> something that service providers are only just starting to recognise.
> It is a key factor to bear in mind in designing services with the
> practical needs of users in mind. For that reason, I rather liked the emphasis on "
> facilitating greater research economically and efficiently" in the
> summary of the '"Capture and Release": Digital Cameras in the Reading
> Room' report flagged up by Anne Taylor.
>
> For me, anything that helps us to make services more economical for
> the provider and more efficient for the user is much to be welcomed.
>
> And, yes, use of reading rooms is largely about resource gathering for
> the user - most of the thinking and analysis is done elsewhere and at
> another time
>
> Chris Pickford
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