ANDREA WALLACE
University of Exeter
"What is 'open' and who is centered in 'open access?'"
When it comes to digital collections, the term “open access” is commonly used by GLAMs to describe access-based initiatives that make collections free to view online or download. But reuse of those collections may be prohibited for various reasons. The underlying materials might be restricted by a valid copyright or cultural sensitivity concerns, or the GLAM might claim copyright in the digital reproductions. Framing access to this media as “open” can be confusing for the public. Isn’t digital access to digital collections just... access? What does, or should, make that access open? This talk explores how we might (re)center users in our understandings of open and open access to reduce GLAM confusion around collections management, dispel the stigma around “closed” access, and increase legal certainty around cross-border reuse - both legal and ethical. In this way, open GLAM presents us with a new methodology for examining what collections materials are appropriate to share, to whom, and for what reuse purposes.