Memo on open access to digital representations of works in the public domain from museum, library, and archive collections at Yale University 5 May 2011

"This document is in support of the adoption of a University-level policy for Yale’s digitized museum, library, and archive collections. After several discussions and review with the Office of the Vice President and General Counsel, Derek Briggs, Amy Meyers, Jock Reynolds, Frank Turner, and Meg Bellinger developed the attached statement of Policy on Access to Digital Images of Works in the Public Domain. The policy was approved by the Officers in a meeting on February 10th, 2011. The preservation, transmission, and advancement of knowledge in the digital age are promoted by the unencumbered use and reuse of digitized content for research, teaching, learning, and creative activities. The goal of digitization is to harness the power of network technology to support these core objectives of the University by enabling global access to the collections in Yale’s museums, libraries and archives. Yale University can best realize this goal by making digital copies of works from the collections available for use without limitations. To this end, we propose that Yale University neither mediate access to nor restrict use of items digitized from its museums, libraries, and archives which have been made openly available through the University’s electronic interfaces, and which are no longer under copyright or otherwise restricted."