And…we are back from lunch. I’m doing these as separate blogs because it’s more convenient (for me).
Afternoon Session I – Current Issues of Museums and other Cultural Institutions
Joyce Ray – Associate Deputy Director for Library Services, Institute of Museum and Library Services
Current Issues of Museums and Intersections with Other Cultural Institutions
Milestones in convergence:
1970 Society of American Archivists(SAA) and American Library Association joint committee established.
1996 Institute of Museum and library services created by Congress
2003 SAA/ALA Joint Committee expaned to include AAM 2003
Trends Joyce sees for promoting convergence:
Demand for digital content, technoloogy for collections management, student interest in cultural heritage (the need to prepare students who can’t move between the different types of institutions).
Joyce gave a brief explanation of the IMLS mission. I won’t repeat that here because the only reader of this blog (thanks Honey!) knows what IMLS is but here’s a link to their website http://www.imls.gov/
Www.niso.org – New Framework of Guidance for Building Good Digital Collections – it establishes principles of good practice. Last year NISO came back and said it was time to update and would like to make this a wiki-type document building a community of practice. That is in progress right now. Should be in draft form in the next year.
IMLS Webwise conference on libraries and museums in the digital world has been ongoing since 200. Last year our co-hosts were OCLC and the J. Paul Getty Trust and the theme was Stewardship in the Digital age (hey I blogged about that one….you can read about that conference on the IMLS website or here http://musematic.net/?p=159)
Joyce also spoke about the Heritage Health Index which–if you are reading this and haven’t read the HHI–you must go immediately and read it now (do not pass go, do not collect $200): http://www.heritagepreservation.org/hhi/
The HHI was a wake-up call for the cultural heritage community and IMLS responded by holding fora on the topic of preservation and disaster planning as well as offering grant opportunities.
IMLS also has leadership grants–she emhasized R&D grants relating to conservation
Florida Center for Library Automation -http://www.heritagepreservation.org/hhi/
Collaborative Digitization Program www.cdpheritage.org
The Johns Hopkins and MIT programs also referenced and other projects rather than try to record this all, why don’t you go the IMLS web site and read about the projects that have been awarded (http://www.imls.gov/search.asp)
Where she sees convergence happening is with people–it’s not going to be the disciplines or the professions or the institutions–it’s the people.
Qiu Xiaowei – Director, Institute of Scientific & Technical Research on Archives, State Archives Administration of China
The Construction of the Archival Information Resources in the Development of National E-Government and informationization
Shared problems faced in the administration of state archives. Twenty five years ago he came to China’s central archives. I led my colleagues in managing archives using computers. When Chou En Lai’s archives were catalogued it took 20 people 10 months to finish. Later, with computerization, the same job took only minutes to complete.
We are now in the process of making even more progress encouraged by the American Digital Libraries and China’s National Library, we are building China’s Digital Archives. We have a closer relationship between the building of our archives and the e-government. We are not entering a phase of much bigger development. China is encouraging a National Archives Service. Instead of each unit doing what they want as long as they money, we will do an integrated project. This includes 3000 Chinese archives and 1000 special archives. To finish this job we must treat the resources as part of China’s basic data so we can get government support. We need to expand the project and make it a grass roots effort.
More importantly we are committed to the archives are true, accurate, and secure. There are many regulations and rules.
Our mission is to enrich the existing database. To do a better job the Chinese archives are facing a harder job. We need to incorporate archives building into the e-governmnent structure. As Chinese archivists we dealth mostly with paper now we have to deal with electronic formats and much training is needed in the care and preservation of these e-documents. We take advantage of any opportunities that arrive of incorporating archival procedures into e-government.
We need to pay attention to the development of new information technologies and at the same time we have to guarantee the quality of information in archives.
Then Qiu Xiaowei told the following story:
There once was a director of an archive in China. He got an award for his archives and he invited me over to see what they had done. When I got there I saw their resources had a lot of mistakes and their records were not in keeping with the government standards. You have one way to go–you have to delete them. Then I went to the National Bureau to the guy who gave the award. I said you’ve made a mistake. This guy likes to drink. I told him “maybe when you got there you’d had a lot to drink.” They didn’t do a good job.
We have similar cases all over the field. In 1966 during the cultural revolution a wind would brush people into high positions or aside so in the photos they will edit photos. So these problems, as we find them, how do we treat them. Of course in other countries there are cases like this: in Great Britain, in Yugoslavia. Faking photos is very universal.
Another story he told (I love this one):
I went to a place and saw a very good system. We gave him high marks. A friend asked me for a good system and I recommended the one I had seen. The friend said they wouldn’t let me see their system. I called the original man back and he told me the system I had seen and evaluated had been “rented” for the purpose of my evaluation.
And another story:
To judiciously use archives is also key. For example, there was as country whose leader was highly respected. But the things that people knew about him were not facts. So their archivist came to China to find out the truth. We told their archivist “We have nothing about your leader” for diplomatic reasons.
Our experience is that our users divide into the decision makers, managers, and general public–they are far away or close to us. The problem is that compared with common users, the decision makers are given more attention. And the people that are closer are given more attention than those who are far away. Our goal should be in keeping with China’s call to build a harmonious society. There are obstacles that need to be overcome and we should to try to overcome them.
Looking to make keywords more natural, paying attention to new technologies and new media, paying attention to preservation, and people who don’t care where resources go. We need new knowledge, new methods, new means of evaulation, and find the best tools.
Holly Witchey – Director, New Media Initiatives, The Cleveland Museum of Art
Why We Do Things We Do: A Middle Manager Speaks from the Conference Trenches
Can’t blog myself while I talk. I focused on three topics. 1) Important lessons learned from two years of going to conferences and facilitating discussions between Robert Martin, Clifford Lynch, and Kenneth Hamma on the convergence of archives, libraries, and museums. 2) The concerns of a middle-manager at a large United States art museum worrying about the implemenation of systems and processes, not to mention the management of people, to assure good data management for the future, and 3) issues facing small museums in this environment. All of these topics are wrapped in package of Shakespeare and tied with a marine-inspired bow.
Xiao Fei – Head of Information Network Department, National Museum of China
The Study of Metadata Planning in the National Museum of China — from the Museological Perspective
Overview of the National Museum of China and the efforts there to digitize their collection. (http://www.nationalmuseum.cn/en/home/index.jsp)
The museum was found in 1912. It was the first national museum of China. More than 1,000,000 items in the collection , representing a general history, and scientific preservation and conservation. The presentation started with a whirlwind tour of some of the highlights of their collection. Including photographs of Richard Nixon visiting the collection.
New museum expected to open in 2012 and the new museum provides a lot of opportunities. What is our mission? What do we want to provide for our visitors? Not just in China, but internationally–globalization and digitization. All museums face the same challenges. Half a century ago much effort was spent on the management of the museum but not on education. We believed that museums were independent and for research, not the public. It was an important task to deal with users but NOT the most important tasks.
Now there is more emphasis on service orientation and the service we provide needs to take the highest priority. The museum will be able to protect and manage these projects but also to provide the information resources that can be incorporated into one entity. So the mission of our museum is: to try our best to provide the pubic with the best services and resources possible.
A few examples: How do we explain to people about lost wax casting? (re bronze objects) How do we share inscriptions and research about symbols?
He used the examples to prove one point–all types of information are needed to make these objects intelligible. How do we gather all this information and provide it in one platform?
He showed the plans and the workflow–collecting, storing, publishing.
He identified three important issues: collection information gathering – extension information related to collections–meta data–and–rare to hear from a museum professional–that metadata is as important as the original digital files. Without metadata their is no access to records, it ensures authenticity, integrity, reliability, and quality of the information.
And he said they were going to approach the STEVE Project folk about keywording opportunities.
Afternoon Session II – Intellectual Property and Global Digital Issues
(Okay folks, Winston talks faster and covers more content than any ten people. I’m going to ask him to post this presentation somewhere so I can link to it–I caught what I could see below)
Winston Tabb – Sheridan Director and Dean of University Libraries, Johns Hopkins University
Recent International Developments in Intellectual Property Affecting Libraries
The Johns Hopkins actually has a library in Nanjing.
A change from when we first designed these conferences, we were brainstorming about issues, since we in U.S. are always thinking about copyright the issue was rejected by our Chinese colleagues.
Why is this important?
We can have wonderful visions of collaboration, money, colleagues, but if public policy issues get in our way it’s as if we’ve done nothing. We cannot be planning these kinds of libraries without talking about intellectual property.
Why should we care? We aren’t against copyright. We are concerned about the erosion of user’s rights. We are interested in freedom of accesss to information, ideas and works of imagination and freedom of expression. A committee to deal with copyright and other issues. (IFLA)
Who are the players?
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva, Switzerland.
Three key treaties
Berne Convention for the Protection of Litary and Artist Works (1886) -163 signatories (China 1992); WIPO Coptyright Treat y(1996) 64 signers; WIPO Peformance and Phonograms Treaty (1996) – 62 signatories
Key Issues with regard to “Traditional Knowledge”
May communities own intellectural propert? What is a community? Should any intellectural property rights be perpetual? Should communities be able to suppress access to information?
Standing committee on copyright and related rights
Broadcasting Treaty, Limitations and Exceptions for Blind and Visually Impaired People (2006), Limitations and Exceptions for Libraries (2008), Regional Training Workshops
Committee on Development and Intellectural Property
Geneva Declaration (2004) — access to information, imbalance in intellectual property laws, monopolization of inofrmation, technological protection measures, digital divide, and free trade agreement http://www.ifla.org/III/clm/CLM-GenevaDeclaration2004.html
A2K (Access to Knowledge) Treaty http://www.access2knowledge.org/cs/
World Trade Organization (WTO), Geneva
Important because many of the multi-lateral agreements which are made are forcing governments to change their llaws.
Bilateral Agreements
You need to know about this US China Joint Commission on COmmerce and Trade (JCCT) — meeting in Beijing December 2007
Why we don’t like bilaterals
Often include term extension of 20 years; orevent circumvention of protection devices, place burden of proof on defendeatnt to show-non infringing activty, supersede limitations and exceptions
James Neal – Vice President for Information Services and University Librarian, Columbia University
Where Are We Going? Current and Prospective Copyright Developments Affecting Libraries in the United States
(*A primer for the Chinese delegates)
Copyright in U.S.
Fair Use is not a right, it’s a defense. Four questions are asked.
What was the purpose or character of the use? What is the nature of the work that is copyrighted? What is the volue of use What is the impact on the market?
Section 108 sets out exceptions and limitations for libraries and archives (and perhaps museums). Preservation copies, replacement copies, interlibrary loan.
What I am saying not copyrighted. The fact that I have written it down, makes it copyrighted. Infringement is when I do something not covered by these exceptions. It has to be original–facts are copyrightable–the temperature outside, the score of a football game, etc. are not copyrightable. We have lots of arguments about who owns intellectural property. We have a provision in our law called “works for hire” wherein works might belong to the corporation not the individual and we have the concept of “public domain.” Copyright is not forever (U.S. life of author plus 20 years)–afterward it moves into public domain. One other piece of the public domain is government documents–U.S. documents become public domain at the time of publication.
Key Legislative and legal arenas for libraries
Orphan works - works for whom we don’t know the owner of the copyright. If they are protected by copyright we can’t do that. If we don’t know who to ask, these are considered to be orphans. Library of Congress did a study and asked what if we passed a law saying you don’t have to ask if you can’t find the owner, we thought it would pass–it did not. Photographers and textile manufacturers objected–it was the power of the textile legislation that killed this.
Digital Fair Use – We do lots of things under the umbrella of fair use. But in 1996 we had the Digital Millenium Copyright Act. “Even if you are using for fair use, you can not break through technology wrapped around content.” Section 1201 Anti-circumvention rulemaking.
Broadcast Flag – The industry wanted the requirement that if you produce electronic devices you would put software code into those machines that would prevent the redistribution of digital content over the internet. We are concerned because we are doing more and more distance education over the internet around the world. We also did not want to restrict the copying and use under fair use. The Federal Communications Commission (Govt) they wanted to cut off the use of analog devices. They want no one to use analog devices by 2010. They want to open up those airwaves to radio and emergency systems and they want to sell that space so the government can make money and therefore the concept of mandating have this flag is important to them. ALA filed a lawsuit in American courts and WON! The computer industry did not want the cost of implementing this and it was that partnership that ultimately killed the idea. Government has not given up.
Section 108 Study Group – Fair Use has not kept up with new technologies (movie industry, sound, photographers, archives. libraries, museums, etc) have worked together for two years to come up with ideas to change the law. We have come up with some findings. 1) That museums be added to section 108; 2) should there be an automatic right for libraries and archives to preserve works without payment; 3) information on the web, web sites and web documents that disappear every second, we want to have an automatic right to archive those web materials. Report to be finalized in next couple of months.
Electronic Reserves - Course reserve readings. Libraries have begun to make that material available online. 2002 Teach Act
