The British Library has welcomed the commitment to address orphan works legislation announced in today's Digital Economy Bill. As one of the UK's leading research institutions, the Library has long argued that educators and researchers will profit from the resolution of issues on orphan works, one of the biggest barriers to mass digitisation and hence important to digital Britain.
CEO of the British Library, Dame Lynne Brindley said: "The Library supports these proposals which confirm the importance of the creative sector to the UK economy. The Library believes that greater access to our increasingly digital collections will allow innovation, education and research to flourish even further within the knowledge economy."
Dame Lynne continued: "Providing access to Orphan Works, which make up an estimated 40% of the Library's in-copyright collection material will unlock vital content and enable mass digitisation of our cultural and academic heritage. Journalists, film and television producers, scholars, budding entrepreneurs, students and authors use our collections, generating societal, academic and economic value. Many more will now benefit by the removal of one of the biggest barriers to delivering online access to our rich content."
Lord Peter Mandelson, the UK's First Secretary of State, has introduced a bill to grant himself (and future politicians) the power to re-write Britain's core copyright legislation with almost no Parliamentary debate, using fast-track secondary legislation. If you're in Britain, call your MP now, and tell him or her that no Secretary of State should be able to rewrite copyright law on a whim!
The FreePint Family is a family of resources to help information workers be more effective, raise the value of information in their organisations and contribute to success.
'FreePint... provides most of my professional development because it won't come through work and [other resources] just don't cut it.'
FUMSI Forum: Do you have a research question? Post it to the FUMSI Forum, where professionals share Q&A and useful tips on how to Find, Use, Manage and Share Information. It's free.
FreePint Shop:
VIP LiveWire:
