Gatherings Document Consent Procedures
Updated 16 November 2020
Anyone reading this will likely have dealt with archives and individuals, to take care of any 'consent to reproduce' physical documents. We have tried, below, to provide a single document that can help you with these procedures. Here are a few notes to help you with this, which we hope will make it easier to deal with this important process. The present document is a work in progress and will be updated in the future. Below is a template for your use.
1. What we have reproduced below is for the most part from the document available on this site related to Oral Histories. The reason we included a form there will be clear below.
2. Note that for most materials, permissions may be necessary from a number of individuals and institutions, and care should be taken to ask about this from the source of your document. This can include: the individual owner of the document (whether institution or individual); from the original creator of the document; and from each subject recorded by or in that document. This all depends on the provenance (the history of the physical document), the age of the document, and the relationship of that document with companies, unions, and others. When in doubt, don't hesitate to contact colleagues in Gatherings, starting with the PI. Note: A good 'rule of thumb' for reviewing the need for permissions: was the document mass-produced, or is otherwise available in multiple archives or collections? If so, there is a case to be made that it is in the public domain.
3. By 'Physical Document,' we mean a reproduction or excerpt from any aural document (ie., a recording of sound of any kind) or visual document (ie., a photograph or other printed or manuscript material). This definition takes into account reproduction in print, but also on a website. It also takes into account the display of a physical document in the course of conducting an interview. This last is also a kind of publication.
4. Consents of the kind described here are necessary only if you are sharing materials in an online interview, as a digitized contextual document for posting, or in a print publication. It is not necessary for 'private research,' or for any representation that will exist in a private archive--so, for example, if there are documents displayed in a recorded interview, consent is not needed if kept within an archival repository, or with the researcher and interviewee.
5. Please note that the project has a limited ability to digitize content, nor is it normally able to accept physical material, though we will assist in finding appropriate archives for secure deposit. Any content requiring digitization beyond the needs of the specific interview will be the responsibility of the Co-Investigator. Any questions or concerns should be discussed with the PI; we will certainly assist in any way we can to provide advice and to find a home for any and all materials, though we can make no promises.
6. See the Dropbox Folder associated with this page for samples of Consent forms that have been used by Co-Investigators. Individual Archives will have their own set templates, which of course should be used; but many archives and individuals do not have templates. This does not mean that Consent should be assumed, or that individuals do not have an interest; in many cases, you will be the one informing them of their rights.
Gatherings: Archival & Oral Histories of Performance Document Release Form Template
Please provide a new form for each individual from whom you are obtaining permissions. You can generate multiple forms and send them via email to these individuals. Note that for most materials, permissions may be necessary from the individual owner of the document, from the original creator of the document, and from each subject recorded by or in that document, all depending on the provenance. Advice from the Gatherings Executive, appropriate Task Force, and the PI should be sought if there are any questions or complications. Any copies of documents not accompanied by a complete set of permission forms from the copyright holders will not be included in Gatherings.
Be sure to include a clear and explicit statement from the creator—either a signature or an email pasted into the form below.
NAME OF CREATOR/OWNER OF COPYRIGHT:
ADDRESS:
DESCRIPTION OF DOCUMENT(S) [Note: This may include photographs of productions, personnel or designs, creative artistic works related to productions, aural or visual recordings of artistic works, individuals, or physical objects related to the subject of the interview.]
CREATOR URL:
The Creator (that is, the photographer, recorder, or other artist or manufacturer) hereby grants to Gatherings (the Publisher) a worldwide, nonexclusive permission to publish/post copies of any material described above as an integral part of the work of Gatherings, in print, electronic or any other form and in any media now known or hereafter devised, subject to the conditions below:
1. The customary credit will be given to the Creator.
2. The Publisher will not, without a further granting of permission, publish or distribute the Image(s) except as an integral part of the publication/posting in which the Article appears. .
3. The Creator’s name will appear in any caption for reproduced items. If you would like the Creator’s website to be featured with the caption, please provide it in the appropriate box above.
4. This permission covers only material in which the Creator holds copyright (i.e., it does not cover any material with an independent copyright).
5. This permission covers the use of documentary material in any promotional content for Gatherings, including print and online supplementary materials. The Creator will always be given customary credit.
Please email a copy of the above section to each Creator and ask her/him to send an email consenting to the terms explained above. This email permission should be pasted in the box provided below, and it MUST show: 1) the email address from which this permission was sent; and 2) the date of the email correspondence.
Insert email here:
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