Open GLAM Survey
How common is it for cultural organisations to publish digitised public domain collections for free reuse? Where are these materials released and under what conditions?
The Open GLAM Survey provides insight on open access policies and practice across the global sector of Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAMs).
The Open GLAM Survey tracks the open access activities of Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAMs) worldwide. It provides detailed, up-to-date information on the licensing policies and distribution methods used to facilitate the open sharing and reuse of digitised public domain collections.
The Open GLAM Survey was created in 2018 and is maintained by Douglas McCarthy and Andrea Wallace as part of the GLAM-E Lab’s portfolio of resources.
The Survey offers links to more than 100 million public domain and openly licensed digital surrogates. The Survey serves as a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers, and cultural heritage professionals, as well as artists, students, educators, and members of the public who want to reuse cultural heritage without having to pay image fees.
Given the diversity of practice among GLAMs that claim new copyrights in digitised public domain collections, Douglas and Andrea review all entries to ensure policies meet the international standards of ‘open,’ which requires that open materials can be freely used, modified, and shared by anyone for any purpose.
From the start, the Survey has been developed by, with, and for members of the open GLAM community. The Survey has since expanded in scope and complexity, documenting a range of data points, including institution type, geographical location, rights statements, APIs, terms of use, volume of images, and more.