National and State Libraries Australasia Position statement on public domain works
abernard102@gmail.com 2013-01-23
Summary:
Use the link to access the full text policy statement opening as follows: "As the public domain embraces the common heritage of society, National and State Libraries Australasia (NSLA) supports the principle that public domain works should be publicly accessible and available for re-use. NSLA also endorses the principle that in a democratic society, the public domain and copyright are of equal importance: both drive social and economic benefits through innovation and the creation of new knowledge. Public domain works are commonly referred to and defined as works that are ‘out of copyright’. The collections held by NSLA libraries contain a large number of public domain works that are no longer protected by copyright because the duration of
copyright has expired. NSLA supports the principle that public domain is a permanent state: the digital conversion of public domain works undertaken by NSLA libraries does not create a
new copyright. NSLA is working to ensure that public domain works are, to the greatest
extent possible, accessible and available for unrestricted re-use by the public. These
aims are being realised by NSLA libraries through an ongoing process of identification
and digital conversion of public domain collections for web-based access for the benefit
of future generations..."