UK GLAM Policies
Following data collection for the UK GLAM Sample, 63 GLAMs were selected for a more in-depth dive into copyright and open access policies and practice.[1] This survey created a dataset extending to GLAM policies published on their own website related to copyright, open access, sensitive materials, and the public task, as well as policies on external platforms where digital collections are published.
Interviews
Interviews sought information on any aspects of copyright or open access related to a TaNC project, the individual’s role and/or GLAM policies and practice. Interviews also provided an opportunity to verify information in online policies and understand the challenges that shape them. Interview data has been generalised or presented in the aggregate to maintain participants’ anonymity. Any direct quotes have been approved for use.
1.4.2. Data accuracy
Due to the nature of web-based research using publicly available information, there may be some inaccuracies and limitations in the data due to their sources.
Every effort was made to ensure no inaccurate or misleading data appears in this report, but the author cannot guarantee absolute accuracy. Some may be inherent to data, legal interpretations, information or other statements produced by the data sources themselves. These inaccuracies reflect the reality of rights management and interpretation of law within and across GLAMs.
For example, GLAM policy statements are often conflicting, subject to change and may not expressly claim or disclaim copyright in digital collections. Many GLAMs lack formal policies, and/or online collections or searchable collections, which can impact high-level categorisation and quantitative analysis. Additional factors related to resources, capacity, technology, platforms, legacy data, funding obligations, senior management, sustainability and staff turnover can result in inconsistent approaches taken across internal and external platforms, even with a given GLAM.
For these reasons, qualitative discussions of policies and data reflect holistic assessments accounting for these contradictions. Rather than presenting a definitive value, the quantitative discussions below represent an ‘at least’ approach to measuring digital collections and open collections published online.
1.5. GLAM distribution across the datasets
The figures below show the distribution of galleries, libraries, archives and museums across two datasets:
- the Open GLAM Survey (‘Global instances in Open GLAM Survey’, 1,208 total) with the UK’s representation for comparison (‘UK instances in the Open GLAM Survey’, 80 total); and
- the UK GLAM Sample (195 total, including the 80 UK instances in the Open GLAM Survey).
- ↑ The full list is available in Appendix 2. UK GLAM Policies on copyright and open access.
