1 July 2008 - 12:00
This paper explains some of the work done during the Rights Management project at the National Library of Australia, looking at the background to the project, the expected benefits, the process of design and development and user engagement, and explains how some of the many challenges encountered to date have been met.
Background
Rights, including copyright, are not the main thing people using the National Library are interested in, and many users struggle to understand why so many obstacles are placed in their way when they want a copy of an old manuscript, or want to perform a piece of music from the collection. In these days of “it’s on the web so I can use it”, it can be difficult for our users to understand the issue of rights. It can also be difficult for our staff to know the intricacies of copyright legislation, or the history of the rights pertaining to particular items.