I agree with the sentiment expressed on this list so far; that is museums
should treat permissions and fees for reproduction of museum-held images in
the same spirit as most already treat print (or for that matter TV
documentaries) reproduction agreements. However, the fees and policies DO
need revision in light of new media; they are not exactly equivalent and
several new issues arise. However, this can be one source of revenue for a
museum; one that offsets the cost of cataloging and digitizing information
to a small extent. I have heard that AAMD is working on a
distribution/marketing model in this area (?), and of course the Getty's
MESL project proposes one potential model too.

The document already mentioned, "a Sample CD-ROM licensing Agreement" from
MUSE Educational Media is an excellent template (but does not suggest fee
structures). I've shown the document to people in the library and archives
worlds and they were thrilled; even though it's meant for museums I think
many organizations are starved for some kind of guidance.

I'm on a committee on the UC Berkeley campus composed of mostly archives &
library folks, and me :), who are looking at these issues in hopes of
writing a policy that can be applied in libraries (and museums) on our
campus. If folks would like to see our final report, I can post a summary
to this list, write a summary for Spectra and/or just send to interested
individuals, or maybe convince the committee they should post it on the WWW
(though they may be reticent, since it is an internal policy....).

I too would love to hear of any activities (such as the upcoming issue of
Visual Resources) on this topic. Thanks!



Richard Rinehart              | University Art Museum / Pacific Film Archive
Systems Manager & Education   | University of California at Berkeley
Technology Specialist         | 2625 Durant, Berkeley, CA 94720-2250
[log in to unmask] | http://www.uampfa.berkeley.edu/