GDPR is just a few days away! And the deluge of emails from long-forgotten mailing lists shows no signs of stopping ... There's no need to panic though. Very few organisations are likely to be fully compliant by the 25 May. The Information Commissioner's Office after all emphasises that the 25 May is the start … Continue reading What does ‘Archiving in the public interest’ mean? GDPR musings
Category: Law and ethics
The Queen’s Speech
Yesterday, in the Queen's Speech at the Opening of Parliament, the UK Government outlined plans for the Data Protection Bill. The Bill is intended to bring data protection law into the digital age, to give people more control over their own data, and to implement the GDPR. See page 46 of this Queen's Speech briefing … Continue reading The Queen’s Speech
Gosh! It’s a Data Protection Revolution
Manage modern archives in the UK? Watch out! The GDPR is coming to shake up your data and you and your organisation need to be ready. On 25 May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation will come into force across the European Union, including the UK, where it will replace the Data Protection Act of 1998. … Continue reading Gosh! It’s a Data Protection Revolution
Free your Orphans!
Struggling with copyright? You're not alone. Archives in the UK contain millions of "orphans". These works are in copyright but the rights holder(s) are unknown or untraceable so we cannot get permission to use the works. This means the works are in legal limbo and hidden from audiences who might benefit from using them. At … Continue reading Free your Orphans!
Joyful June: copyright law to change for the better
This June, copyright changes for the better! LOOOONG-awaited changes to copyright exceptions are bringing complex and outdated legislation into line with the needs of modern teaching and research. These changes will treat those using "non-text" materials more fairly, make preservation copying easier, and enable copying into accessible formats to support people with disabilities. The rights … Continue reading Joyful June: copyright law to change for the better
Bingo for Buttons: the archive accreditation workshop
Back in September (20th to be exact) I went along to a workshop on archives accreditation. Though I've been following the growth of the new standard pretty closely, I still found the event really helpful. If you're thinking of applying, do try to get to one of these sessions! What did I like about this … Continue reading Bingo for Buttons: the archive accreditation workshop
Thank you to Tim Padfield
No!!!!! The cry rose up from record offices and other archives across the land and emails and tweets flew, as archivists took in the message. On 23 April Tim Padfield, copyright expert at the National Archives, announced via the archives-nra mailing list that he would be retiring in May. Why were we concerned? Because Tim … Continue reading Thank you to Tim Padfield
Five Theses on the Future of Special Collections
"Preservation without use is an empty victory. It ought to be our primary purpose at all times to minimize barriers to use ..." "[It is] crucial to reach out and demystify special collections, to convey the message: 'Please touch. This is here for you. You are special enough for special collections'." So says John Overholt … Continue reading Five Theses on the Future of Special Collections
New from Ashgate – Library Space and Archives in Time
The latest catalogue of librarianship books from Ashgate features a couple which should be of particular interest for special collections: Smith, C and Stead, L. (eds). The boundaries of the literary archive. August 2013. Includes contributions by archivists about practical issues in literary archives, such as confidentiality and use in teaching and marketing. The case … Continue reading New from Ashgate – Library Space and Archives in Time
Too Many Collections, So Little Time?
Are you struggling with increasing numbers of users, demand for digital, crumbling collections, unsuitable storage space, intellectual property conundrums, born-digital collections, lack of skills, pressure of public sector cuts and recession ...? You are not alone! Two essential new reports reveal the challenges faced by UK special collections and archives and give us the evidence … Continue reading Too Many Collections, So Little Time?
The Special Collections Handbook 