Collection use and reuse policy

The National Library and Alexander Turnbull Library have established a common objective and an overarching suite of principles supporting use and reuse of collection items and metadata. This policy ensures consistency and transparency in our decision making, activities, and messages.

These principles are the basis of many new and upcoming changes - it's a work in process.

Read about the development of this policy

Guiding principles

Principle 1: NLNZ services that support the use and reuse of collection items are lawful.

Principle 2: All collection items will be delivered to researchers with clear and consistent statements on use and reuse rights and permissions.

Principle 3: NLNZ will adhere to the terms, conditions or restrictions for use and reuse as agreed when collection items are acquired or received.

Principle 4: Negotiations with rights owners and donors will promote and be informed by the Creative Commons licensing framework as a mechanism to facilitate use and reuse of in-copyright works.

Principle 5: Where no copyright restriction applies, NLNZ will seek to provide the items for use and reuse with a statement of ‘no known copyright restrictions’, after careful consideration of cultural and ethical issues relating to the items.

Principle 6: Where there are works where copyright is likely to apply, but the rights owner is unable to be identified or traced after a reasonable search, NLNZ will seek to provide a statement of ‘copyright undetermined – untraced rights owner’, after careful consideration of cultural and ethical issues relating to the items.

Principle 7: Collection items with ‘No known copyright restriction’ statements should be available for use and reuse at an appropriate quality resolution.

Principle 8: The principles of NZGOAL will be applied to collection items for which NLNZ is the rights owner.

Principle 9: Appropriate attribution for public use and reuse of collection items is necessary to provide a traceable path back to the authoritative source for the items.

Download the policy

Download the collection use and reuse policy (pdf, 176KB)

The pdf document is the full and complete policy. It includes more detailed explanations of the principles, and a statement on reuse of collection metadata.