[Dspace-general] Release form

[MacKenzie Smith]

Hi John,

At 10:56 AM 11/21/2005 -0800, John Repplinger wrote:
>I've searched the DSpace list serv archive, I haven't seen too many 
>references to release forms that allow institutions to collect & maintain 
>documents.  I think the type of form is similar to copyright or author 
>release agreements, but maybe this isn't what these types of forms are called.

The DSpace software comes with what is referred to as a "deposit license" 
which is clicked
through as a step in the submission process. The generic license is 
available in the CVS tree
http://cvs.sourceforge.net/viewcvs.py/dspace/dspace/config/default.license?rev=1.3&view=log
and you're supposed to customize it when you install the software. The MIT 
example can be
viewed at http://libraries.mit.edu/dspace-mit/mit/policies/license.html

The assumption (which MIT's lawyers approved... dunno about yours) is that 
the author/depositor
or their proxy has the right to give you (the DSpace archive owner) the 
right to manage the item,
and that the click through license is binding.

Some institutions have taken the approach of an MOU with each community at 
the time
they join the archive (for example, CDL does that for eScholarship), but we 
felt that would
be a bit too much of a barrier to joining for your average faculty member...

Hope this helps you,


MacKenzie Smith
Associate Director for Technology
MIT Libraries
Building E25-131d
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA  02139
(617)253-8184
kenzie at mit.edu