The ARLIS/NA Public Policy Committee would like to strongly encourage
you to submit your anecdotes showing the difficulties that the so-called
"Orphan Works" issue has presented to you and your users. (In case you
missed the previous postings on ARLIS-L, see the message below for
background information. See also the CAA's web page on this issue at
http://www.collegeart.org/orphan-works/) It is vital that we contribute
our stories demonstrating how problems in determining the copyright
status or copyright ownership of a work have presented barriers to
teaching and scholarship. The leadership of ARLIS/NA is eager to join
CAA, ARL and others in their efforts to persuade the Copyright Office to
pursue a solution to the "Orphan Works" problem.

The Public Policy Committee would like to use some of the anecdotes you
submit in a letter that we hope to submit to the Copyright Office.
Therefore, in addition to submitting your anecdotes by means of the
CAA's electronic form at
http://www.collegeart.org/orphan-works/submit.html, we ask that you
please send a copy of your comments to Vanessa Kam, outgoing co-chair of
the ARLIS/NA Public Policy Committee, at [log in to unmask] Please do
not wait until the March 14 deadline; the sooner we receive your
comments, the easier it will be to incorporate them into our letter.

We would also like to suggest that you contact art history scholars at
your institution and urge them to respond to CAA's call.

We thank you in advance for your assistance in addressing this vital
issue.

Tim Shipe
on behalf of the ARLIS/NA Public Policy Committee

>
>
>
>       Dear Colleague:
>       As you may already know, the U.S. Copyright Office is soliciting
>       formal comments from the public on the problem of "orphan" works
>       (http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2005/70fr3739.html).  The
College 
> Art
>       Association has joined the Association of Research Libraries and
a
>       number of other groups to develop a joint filing.  If
successful, 
> this
>       initiative could significantly help artists, scholars, and
others who
>       use copyrighted images and texts in their creations and
writings.
>       CAA is moving forward quickly with this task- with a very short
>       deadline: March 14, 2005.  In order to make a strong case to the
>       Copyright Office, we need anecdotes - as many as you can think
of -
>       about specific instances where scholars or artists have had 
> difficulty
>       using copyrighted materials because the copyright holder cannot
be
>       located.
>       CAA has created a webpage, describing the initiative and asking
for
>       personal anecdotes or experiences from scholars and artists.
> The
>       webpage includes a question and answer submission form.  You do
not
>       need to be a member of CAA to complete this submission form.
> The page
>       is located at http://www.collegeart.org/orphan-works/
>       I urge you to visit the webpage and add your personal anecdotes
about
>       your experiences with "orphan" works and their effects on your
>       creative endeavors.  Please also feel free to send this page to
as
>       many people as you know who may have been affected by the
>       inaccessibility of a rights holder.  Should you have any
questions
>       about this initiative, please feel free to contact me.
>       In case you are not familiar with the College Art Association,
here's
>       some background information:
>       Founded in 1911, the College Art Association...
>       * Promotes excellence in scholarship and teaching in the history
and
>       criticism of the visual arts and in creativity and technical
skill in
>       the teaching and practices of art.
>       * Facilitates the exchange of ideas and information among those
>       interested in art and history of art.
>       * Advocates comprehensive and inclusive education in the visual
arts.
>       * Speaks for the membership on issues affecting the visual arts
and
>       humanities.
>       * Provides opportunities for publication of scholarship,
criticism,
>       and artists' writings.
>       * Fosters career development and professional advancement.
> Identifies
>       and develops sources of funding for the practice of art and for
>       scholarship in the arts and humanities.
>       * Honors accomplishments of artists, art historians, and
critics.
>       * Articulates and affirms the highest ethical standards in the 
> conduct
>       of the profession.
>       CAA includes among its members those who by vocation or
avocation are
>       concerned about and/or committed to the practice of art,
teaching, 
> and
>       research of and about the visual arts and humanities. Over
13,000
>       artists, art historians, scholars, curators, collectors,
educators,
>       art publishers, and other visual arts professionals are
individual
>       members. Another 2,000 university art and art history
departments,
>       museums, libraries, and professional and commercial
organizations 
> hold
>       institutional memberships.
>       The association is governed by a 25 person Board of Directors, 
> elected
>       by the membership, representing the fields' diverse
constituencies 
> and
>       geographic regions. Membership is open to all individuals with
an
>       interest in art, art history, or a related discipline, whether
by
>       vocation or avocation. CAA encourages the inclusion among its
>       constituencies of qualified individuals representing a diversity
of
>       race, religion, gender, national origin, sexual preference,
physical
>       disability, and age in employment, education, exhibition, 
> programmatic
>       opportunities, and the awarding of grants and prizes in the
public 
> and
>       private art sectors.
>       College Art Association
>       275 Seventh Avenue
>       New York, New York 10001
>       (212) 691 - 1051
>       (212) 627 - 2381 (fax)
>       Email: [log in to unmask]
> 

__________________________________________________________________
Mail submissions to [log in to unmask]
For information about joining ARLIS/NA see:
        http://www.arlisna.org//membership.html
Send administrative matters (file requests, subscription requests, etc)
        to [log in to unmask]
ARLIS-L Archives and subscription maintenance:
       http://lsv.uky.edu/archives/arlis-l.html
Questions may be addressed to list owner (Kerri Scannell) at: [log in to unmask]