COLLECTIONS AND MARKETS: PITFALLS AND POSSIBILITIES
Date
2012-06-14
Authors
Larsen, David
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Abstract
Many archives have special collections that experience or could experience consistent use by publishers and broadcasters to illustrate a particular historical period or subject field. Archives and archives professionals, however, often find themselves uncertain about how to deal with what they see as “commercial” interests. How does one protect the integrity of a collection and even the principle of open access against such interests; when are such interests valid and when are they illegitimate? What is the role of publishers and broadcasters in society and where does this overlap with the mandate of archives to preserve, research, educate and inform? And where do the roles diverge? What is the difference between editorial and commercial publishing?
This paper seeks to explore such questions, moving toward the formulation of clear policies and strategies for interacting with editorial markets. Insight will be provided from a decade of working on the interface between public archives and publishing and broadcast markets. The paper seeks to facilitate understanding and give insights that empower wise choices that protect the long-term integrity of archival collections. Building on the concept of appropriate access, the paper will argue that there is a significant difference between commercial markets for archival content, and editorial markets. Commercial markets in the business of promoting products or services are almost never appropriate channels for the publishing of archival content. Editorial markets, on the other hand, when operating with the mandate that society has given them, should be seen as an extension of the mandate that archives have to educate and inform. In this regard they should be seen as strategic partners.This paper will also argue for layers of appropriate access and rights to use a collection, indicating appropriate models for interacting with various users and granting usage rights.
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COLLECTIONS AND MARKETS: PITFALLS AND POSSIBILITIES