Copyright & cross-border challenges in preservation: empirical evidence

This short paper highlights how cross border cooperation is a central part of the work of libraries and cultural institutions as they preserve and provide access to materials, and how copyright creates challenges through restrictive or ambiguous laws. It presents the results of a survey and interviews with library professionals, as well as a collection of news stories. Archival projects are frequently international, requiring specialized expertise and resources. They pose challenges that need to be resolved with clear, flexible, and expansive guidance and legal protection, to enable the work of preservationists with international material where many specifics of origin and rights may not be known. Overly restrictive copyright laws endanger content - which can be lost to natural disasters or poor storage, or left locked away indefinitely in ‘dark archives’ awaiting a distant point when rights issues are resolved. The survey conducted in Feb 2023 received 23 responses were received from 13 countries. 68% of respondents indicated their work had a cross-border element, and 77% believed their institutions would benefit from more cross-border work. 40.9% indicated copyright was either a ‘top’ or ‘very much’ a priority in preservation projects. Many respondents indicated that copyright restrictions and ambiguities create challenges for workflow, and that the lack of restrictions on public domain works make them easy to prioritize. Providing access internationally is vital to connect people to relevant collections, especially those held abroad in post-colonial contexts.

本短篇论文阐述了图书馆与文化机构在开展馆藏保存与资源获取服务的过程中，跨境合作是其核心工作内容之一；同时探讨了版权法因过于严苛或界定模糊，为相关工作带来的诸多挑战。本研究呈现了针对图书馆从业人员开展的问卷调查与访谈结果，以及一组新闻报道合集。档案项目往往具有跨国属性，需要专业的技术能力与资源支持。此类项目往往带来诸多挑战，需依托清晰、灵活且覆盖面广的指导规范与法律保护方能妥善解决，以助力藏品保存人员开展溯源与权利归属信息不明的国际馆藏保存工作。过度严苛的版权法会对馆藏内容造成威胁：这些藏品可能因自然灾害、存储不当而永久遗失，或是被无限期封存于黑暗档案库（dark archives）中，直至权利纠纷得到解决的遥远时日。本研究于2023年2月开展问卷调查，共回收来自13个国家的23份有效回复。68%的受访者表示其工作涉及跨境元素，另有77%的受访者认为，若开展更多跨境合作，其所在机构将从中获益。40.9%的受访者指出，在馆藏保存项目中，版权问题属于“首要”或“极为重要”的优先级事项。多位受访者提及，版权限制与界定模糊问题为工作流程带来诸多阻碍；而公有领域作品（public domain works）不受版权限制的特性，则使其成为馆藏优先级排序的优先选择。面向全球提供馆藏资源获取服务，对于促进民众接触相关馆藏具有重要意义，尤其对于后殖民语境下留存于海外的馆藏而言更是如此。