Whose Etifeddiaeth? The National Library of Wales and its New Policy on Copyright and Digitized Collections

Abstract

In April 2012, the National Library of Wales decided that it would cease to claim ownership of copyright in its digitized collections. The decision was based on an appraisal of the legal argument and its position in relation to its public mission. Also considered were the impact on revenue and concern that the policy would result in loss of control of the digitized collections. Data gathered in recent years suggests that the new policy will not have a significant impact on income generated from image licensing and should increase the efficiency of the Library's service. The new policy should also generate more social and economic value downstream, although these benefits will be difficult to quantify. Sharing collections online involves a degree of risk and libraries have applied copyright restrictions to their collections to prevent uses that may undermine their work. Some argue that a library should determine which uses are made of its collections, others see an open approach as leading to the library's demise, while many see copyright as an effective way of ensuring that a library is acknowledged wherever its collections are used. Rather than seeking to control the use of its collections, it is argued that the National Library of Wales should gain recognition for its work by proactively sharing digitized collections on third-party websites and applications, adopting a holistic view of its services, and participating in collaborative projects involving its collections. Underpinned by the new rights policy, these activities would demonstrate that the Library is more concerned with realizing the full potential of the collections rather than locking down content to safeguard its own interests.