The following post is cross-posted from the OpenGLAM blog.
On the OpenGLAM blog we have previously written about the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), an initiative that has the goal to make the cultural and scientific heritage of humanity available, free of charge, to all. To achieve this goal the board of directors has recommended applying the CC0 public domain waiver to the metadata.
The vision of the DPLA is to provide one click access to many different resource types, with the initial focus on producing a resource that gives full text access to books in public domain, e.g. from Hathi Trust, the Internet Archive, and U.S and international research libraries. In order to create a true complete collection of available content and data, it is important that the DPLA makes its data interoperable with other datasets from initiatives and institutions all over the world. To make this work, the various datasets have to be compliant, both legally and technically.
Last week, the board of directors of the DPLA had a meeting and the metadata licensing policy was discussed.
The proposed policy is as follows:
- The DPLA asserts that metadata are not copyrightable, and that applying a license to
them is not necessary.- To the extent that the law determines a copyright interest exists, a CC0 license
applies.- The DPLA asserts no new rights over metadata at the DPLA level.
This is also reflected in the about page of the DPLA
Metadata is a key part of the DPLA discovery framework; it describes content and resources in the DPLA, enables users to find them, and connects US holdings to holdings in other countries. The DPLA will aggregate existing library data and create new data; it will operate as part of a global linked data environment. All DPLA-created metadata will be made freely available in reusable form, except where doing so would violate personal privacy. All metadata contributed to or funded by the DPLA will be placed in the public domain.
The decision to apply the CC0 Public Domain waiver to the metadata will greatly improve interoperability with Europeana, Europe’s equivalent of the DPLA. Now that more different initiatives start publishing digitised heritage and its metadata, interoperability becomes more and more important in order to create a linked web of cultural heritage data, instead of new data silos. By both choosing the CC0 Public Domain waiver, Europeana and the DPLA take a great a step forward in achieving their goal.
A first example of what can result out of this collaboration is the virtual exhibition “Leaving Europe: a new life in America” where the story of European immigrants is being presented, using material from both the US and Europe.
The DPLA will launch on April 18 this year in Boston.
Joris is community coordinator cultural heritage at the Europeana Foundation and coordinates the OpenGLAM working group.
