[Blog Post] The Challenge of Access: Why Aren't All Audiovisual Collections Fully Public?

[Kevin Glick]

See the new post on Aviary Insights discussing a common tension digital libraries: the drive to provide broad public access versus the legal and ethical necessity of restricting certain materials.

In "The Challenge of Access: Why Aren't All Audiovisual Collections Fully Public?", I discuss the specific hurdles that often keep audiovisual collections offline, including:

• Legal Constraints: Navigating complex copyright terms, donor stipulations, and privacy mandates.

• Ethical Considerations: Respecting cultural protocols regarding Indigenous knowledge and ensuring informed consent.

• Logistical Barriers: The challenge of processing backlogs and identifying rights holders for "orphan works".

The post also discusses how granular access management tools—like those in Aviary—allow institutions to open what they can while protecting what they must, rather than keeping entire collections dark. It also includes links to recent webinars on configuring these permissions.

You can read the full article here: http://insights.aviaryplatform.com/aviary-insights/the-challenge-of-access-why-arent-all-audiovisual-collections-fully-public