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.
Processing and describing our collections
Processing
On acquisition, all items in the Library s collection are accessioned and recorded on the Library s Integrated Library Management System (ILMS). The Library currently uses the Voyager system. In addition, for manuscript and large picture archives, the collection management system Archive Space is used for the accessioning and detailed description of this material.
All material is then catalogued according to the Library s Collection Description policy, with different levels of description employed for various categories of material.
Describing
The Library also uses the following standards for cataloguing:
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) in conjunction with the Australian extension to LCSH, which includes additional Australian subject headings and references that have been authorised for use in Libraries Australia.