Joint Statement on the Metadata Rights of Libraries
March 21, 2023
Statement
The endorsers listed below urge all organizations, whether for-profit or not-for-profit, to uphold libraries’ rights and interests to use, re-use, adapt, aggregate, and share metadata that describes library collections to serve the public interest, without restriction or limitation.
Background
Metadata and the metadata services that describe library collections are critical in supporting content discovery, knowledge creation, and libraries’ public missions. Metadata describing library collections is not typically copyrightable, and should be considered freely shareable and reusable under most circumstances. "Metadata" is a term without a static definition in law, but it is generally accepted that "metadata" is factual data about data
Library bibliographic metadata typically provides a factual description of the content and collections that libraries make available to their users. For example: bibliographic records may contain a book's title, author, publication year, subject headings, and other fields. This metadata may vary in its comprehensiveness and descriptiveness, but is not typically considered a creative expression.
Libraries have long created metadata about their collections with the explicit intent that it be shared, re-used, and modified openly in an unrestricted manner to promote access to information. Metadata that describes library collections is core to libraries’ non-profit, educational missions in how they function, both day-to-day and strategically. It enables users to discover and access library materials, supports collaboration among libraries, aids in stewardship of informed library purchasing decisions, allows libraries to observe regional and world-wide metadata use trends, and supports analyzing cataloging trends and conventions.
Given how important it is for libraries to use, re-use, and share such metadata freely, current industry trends are troubling. Limited choice in affordable metadata service options, along with restrictions imposed on metadata use, re-use, and sharing across collaborations, platforms, system types, and providers, are impeding libraries’ rights and ability to innovate and collaborate to serve their users effectively. Market-limiting pressure that allows for and enforces any monopolistic practices, whether through commercial contracts or policy, is antithetical to libraries’ purpose and marginalizes underfunded libraries.
Signatories To Statement
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminar Library
Anatolian University Libraries Consortium (ANKOS)
Andrew L. Bouwhuis, SJ Library, Canisius College
Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL)
Bakalar Library, Longy School of Music of Bard College
Boston Library Consortium
Burke Memorial Library, Spring Hill College
California State University Libraries
Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN)
Connecticut State Colleges & Universities Library Consortium
ConnectNY
The Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI)
Council of Atlantic Academic Libraries (CAAL-CBPA)
Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries (COPPUL)
Digital Library Association of Armenia
Eastern Academic Scholars' Trust (EAST)
EIFL (Electronic Information for Libraries)
Electronic Resources for Moldova
Florida SouthWestern State College
Florida State University Libraries
Florida Virtual Campus (FLVC) Library Services
GALILEO
Gordon Library, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Harrisburg University Library
Haverford College
Health Library Ireland
Hellenic Academic Libraries Link (HEAL-Link)
IDS Project
Indiana University Libraries
Lehigh University Libraries
Lithuanian Research Library Consortium (LMBA)
LOUIS: The Louisiana Library Network
LYRASIS
Midwest Collaborative for Library Services (MCLS)
National Library of Armenia
Nepal Library and Information Consortium (NeLIC)
Network of Alabama Academic Libraries
PALCI Board of Directors
PASCAL
Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI)
Rede Virtual de Bibliotecas (RVBI), Brasil
Research Libraries UK
Rochester Regional Library Council
SLSP - Swiss Library Service Platform
Social Science Baha, Kathmandu, Nepal
South African National Library and information Consortium (SANLiC)
Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN)
University of Alberta Library
University of Winchester
University of Yangon
VIVA
Washington Research Library Consortium
Wesleyan University Library
Western New York Library Resources Council
Wales Higher Education Library Forum (WHELF)