My sentiments -- and our experience -- exactly.  Do they give their
CR-ROMS away for free? Will they produce a CD-ROM for your museum for
free?  Why in the world should you give away *your* product for free?
Supplying your photos to their project costs you money. No, publicity for

your museum is *not* compensation: it doesn't pay for those costs.
Publicity is an extra, a nice by-product of your sale. Nothing is worth
more to a museum budget than payment up front.
--------------------------------------------------------------
name: amalyah keshet
director, visual resources / the israel museum, jerusalem
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
date: 06/19/96
visit our Web site at http://www.imj.org.il
________________________________________________________________
>
>On Tue, 18 Jun 1996 19:47:17 -0400  Melanie Solomon wrote:
>>Hear, hear!  I second that emotion!
>>
>>It is one thing to make the occasional exception for other non-profits
>as a
>>gesture of good will, but profit-making ventures that whine about
paying
>
>
>a
>>fee for use of museum/archive collections don't deserve an ounce of
>sympathy.
>>
>>One important point to note is that you absolutely MUST NOT sign away
>>indefinite and/or un-specific rights to use the collection images.
>(Many
>>museums signed away reproduction rights early in the CD-ROM era, and
now
>
>
>have
>>little recourse in recouping lost revenues.)  You should think about
>charging
>>a royalty fee in addition to your standard publication fee so that you
>can
>>earn something for every CD sold.  This is important in that it is
>extremely
>>easy to churn out hundreds of thousands of CDs above and beyond an
>initial
>>run.
>>
>>Non-profit does not mean having to play dumb and roll over for everyone

>with
>>a sob story.  Why is it that we are made to feel guilty about trying to

>earn
>>our pittance to buy a few Mylar envelopes?  I, for one, have overcome
>this
>>sorry state and am totally guilt-free.  (Here's hoping the museums
>follow
>>suit!)
>>
>>Melanie Solomon
>>[log in to unmask]
>>
>>
>>Robert MacKimmie wrote:
>><<CD-ROM technology may be glitzy, fun technology but it is a
>>publishing medium just the same, so similar use fees should apply.
>>One thing about the publishing industry is that you will witness
>>"song and dance" justifications about why you shouldn't charge use
>>fees.
>><<
>><<When the archive community, at large, responds uniformly in an
>>affirmative and rightfully "standing our ground" way, they will cease
>>to "pull the wool over." I've heard many wildly spun justifications
>>during my years doing photo rights and reproduction.
>><<
>><<Cheers, and hold the high ground.>>