For immediate release

1st September 2017

Making the case for open licensing in cultural heritage institutions

Facet Publishing have announced the release of Open Licensing for Cultural Heritage by Gill Hamilton and Fred Saunderson.

In the digital era, libraries, archives, museums and galleries are no longer constrained by the physical limitations of their buildings, analogue books, manuscripts, maps, paintings and artefacts. Cultural collections now can be safely distributed and shared globally. To ensure that the benefits of this ability to share are realised, cultural institutions must endeavour to provide free and open access to their digital collections. The tool for achieving this is open licensing.

Featuring real-world case studies from diverse education and heritage organizations, Open Licensing for Cultural Heritage digs into the concept of ‘open’ in relation to intellectual property. It explores the organizational benefits of open licensing and the open movement, including the importance of content discoverability, arguments for wider collections impact and access, the practical benefits of simplicity and scalability, and more ethical and principled arguments related to the protection of public content and the public domain.

The authors said, “Openly sharing our knowledge, experience, content and culture for free is not a new concept. Sharing is an innate and natural part of our human character. Forward looking, inclusive, modern, relevant cultural heritage organizations must play a central role in supporting free, open access to culture at a global level. This is possible, practical and achievable with considered and informed application of an open licensing framework. Our book will provide readers with the insight, knowledge, and confidence to make a case for and implement an open licensing approach.”

- Ends

Notes:
Link to the cover image:
https://www.booksonix.co.uk/facetpublishing/9781783301850.jpg

Open Licensing for Cultural Heritage | Aug 2017 | 240pp | paperback: 9781783301850 | £64.95 | hardback: 9781783301867 | £129.95 | eBook: 9781783302505

Gill Hamilton is Digital Access Manager at the National Library of Scotland where she leads on access to the Library’s extensive digital collections, and oversees its resource discovery and library management systems.

Fred Saunderson is the National Library of Scotland’s Intellectual Property Specialist where he has responsibility for providing copyright and intellectual property advice and guidance, as well as coordinating licensing and re-use procedures.

The book is published by Facet Publishing and is available from Bookpoint Ltd | Tel: +44 (0)1235 827702 | Fax: +44 (0)1235 827703 | Email: facet@bookpoint.co.uk | Web: www.facetpublishing.co.uk. | Mailing Address: Mail Order Dept, 39 Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4TD. It is available in North America from the American Library Association.

Leiden (NL) / Boston (USA) / Paderborn (GER) / Singapore (SG) / Beijing (CN) – 1 September 2017

International academic publisher Brill, through its regional office in Singapore, Brill Asia, has opened a branch office in Beijing, supporting its sales and marketing activities. The official opening took place during the 24th Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF, 23-27 August). A festive reception for the opening of Brill China was held at the Residence of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the presence of Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Mr. Paul Menkveld and distinguished guests. Celebratory speeches were given by the acting Ambassador, representatives of Brill, Peking University Library, and established publishing partners.

“For over 300 years Royal Brill Publishing House has been in the business of connecting societies through scholarly publications. The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Beijing is happy to see that Royal Brill, publishing for more than 100 years on China, Chinese culture and the Chinese language, will continue their work of engaging and partnering with Asia’s best scholars, universities and publishing houses from their newly established branch office in China’s capital Beijing. We wish this renowned Dutch company and its staff all the best”.
Paul Menkveld, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

“Opening a branch office in China is a logical step after we established Brill Asia, our regional office in Singapore, in 2015. China is an important market that requires a different approach. Closeness to market is key, with local staff that can serve our customers in their own language and time-zone. We are delighted to continue to serve their needs though Brill China.”
Liesbeth Kanis, Managing Director Brill Asia and Brill China

At the BIBF, Brill further signed a strategic cooperation agreement with The Commercial Press (1897), one of the leading presses in China in the fields of Humanities and Social Sciences. The two presses will collaborate on publishing academic books, journals and digital products.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with The Commercial Press, one of China's oldest and most prestigious publishers. Our publishing houses share a vision of excellence in academic publishing in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Our joint agreement is an important step in strengthening Brill's presence in China.”
Dr. Uri Tadmor, Publishing Director Asian Studies, Brill

On the same day, Brill and Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press (SJTUP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding for their collaboration on a collection of digital resources, entitled Jewish Refugees in China.
For more information on Brill China (china@brill.com) contact Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing, Mr. Peter Coebergh (coebergh@brill.com) or Mrs. Liesbeth Kanis (kanis@brill.com). For more information on the publishing cooperation contact Dr. Uri Tadmor (tadmor@brill.com) or Dr. Qin Higley (higley@brill.com).

About Brill
Founded in 1683 in Leiden, the Netherlands, Brill is a leading international academic publisher in the Humanities, Social Sciences, International Law and Biology. With offices in Leiden, Boston, Paderborn, Singapore and China, Brill annually publishes over 270 journals and around 1200 new books and reference works, available in print and online. Brill also markets a large number of primary source research collections and databases. The company’s key customers are academic and research institutions, libraries, and scholars. Brill is a publicly traded company and is listed on Euronext Amsterdam NV. For more information, visit www.brill.com.

About The Commercial Press
The Commercial Press was founded in Shanghai on February 11, 1897 and is the oldest modern publishing house in China. After several decades, it has been developed into a cultural and educational institute with publishing as its major business. Guided consistently by the principle of fostering cultural enhancement and intellectual enlightenment, its impact on the history of cultural and educational publishing in modern China has been profound and far-reaching. The Commercial Press is devoted to promoting cultural and educational enterprises in this new age of information. Building upon the foundation of both printed and digital formats, it will continue to advance, and actively pursue new developments towards greater diversification. For more information see our website.

About Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press (SJUTP)
Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press (SJTUP) is the official publishing house of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, one of China’s leading universities and research institutions. Founded in 1983, it furthers the university’s goals of excellence in academic research, education and spreading knowledge. SJTUP publishes about 1,500 monographs, reference titles and textbooks annually covering a wide range of subjects, including natural sciences, technology, medicine, humanities and social sciences. Highlights include Collected Works of H.S. Tsien, A History of Chinese Science and Technology by former President of Chinese Academy of Sciences Lu Yongxiang, Aerospace Engineering Series edited by Academician Gu Songfen, and the first Chinese edition of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations translated by Yan Fu. Working closely with scholars, SJTUP disseminates science and promotes learning for the international academic community, meeting the needs of the full spectrum of researchers, professionals, teachers and students. SJTUP maintains good relationships with many renowned international publishers, conducting copyright trades and co-publishing programs with them, and has spearheaded the drive to introduce Chinese scholars to international academic communities. For more information see our website.

For this media alert in Chinese go to http://www.brill.com/node/41449