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Creative Commons Sources, Databases

Creative Commons

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Creative Commons

Its home page/website can be found here: https://creativecommons.org/

You can search its image collection here: https://search.creativecommons.org/

Its rights and usage statement can be found here: https://creativecommons.org/about/cclicenses/

Creative Commons is the mother of all open-access websites, containing a wealth of digital material that purports to be copyright free.  However, its licenses vary in terms of usage, including images that are restricted to non-commercial use and “share-and-share-alike” licenses (that dictate that any new material created using Creative Commons imagery must be shared under the same license terms) being two of the most common.  Also, many authors don’t realize that images posted on Creative Common tend to be low resolution, so can be used on webpages and blogs but not in print publications that require better quality imagery.  Creative Commons is both a repository of open-access material and a set of legal guidelines or licenses that individuals may apply to their work if they wish to make it available to the public.

Public Domain Sources

The National Archives

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The home search page for the National Archives is located here: https://www.archives.gov/research/catalog

The rights and permission statement may be found here: https://www.archives.gov/global-pages/privacy.html

The National Archives houses images, documents, film, audio recordings, and other material collected by a multitude of government agencies.  As the work of the US government, these items are copyright free and are free for the public to use, although some material that was gifted to NARA has limitations and restrictions.  It offers various resources for researchers, including HistoryHub where researchers can collaborate and raise questions about specific archival collections and records (https://historyhub.history.gov/welcome).  The site is a good source for information related to US history, government programs, genealogy, and military history.

Archives, Creative Commons Sources, Public Domain Sources, Video materials

The Prelinger Archives

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The Prelinger Archives website can be accessed here: https://archive.org/details/prelinger

Its rights and permissions statement may be found here: https://archive.org/details/prelinger?tab=about

The Prelinger Archives is a collection of films, many of which are in the public domain, from many different sources, including a rich collection of US government films, educational television, home and amateur movies, and libraries and archives.  Founded in 1983, it has been a part of the Library of Congress’ Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division since 2002.  The Prelinger Archives generally offers its footage through a Creative Commons-Public Domain license, although those requiring higher quality footage would need to work with its licensing agent, Getty Images.  Additionally, each individual item is tagged with licensing information, giving its Creative Commons license and any limitations on use.

Archives, Public Domain Sources, Video materials, Visual Imagery

NASA Commons

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The NASA Commons site on Flickr is located at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasacommons

A rights and permission statement is available on the NASA Images website: https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/guidelines/index.html

The NASA Commons Flickr site gives access to a selection of copyright-free images, video, and other materials from the NASA archives found on its master website, NASA Images: https://images.nasa.gov/.  These images are free to use by the public, with some restrictions as outlined on NASA’s rights and permission page.  Most of these restrictions have to do with commercial usage in advertisements or in other ways that might imply NASA’s endorsement of a commercial project.  Likeliness rights to individual astronauts or individuals shown in photos may be necessary to obtain as well.  The rich library of imagery gives users the ability to draw on NASA’s entire history of space flight and exploration.

Archives, Public Domain Sources, Visual Imagery

J. Paul Getty Museum Website

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The J. Paul Getty Collection Website

You can access the collection here: http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/

The Getty offers the imagery to which it owns the rights without a fee.  Its rights and permission statement can be found here: https://www.getty.edu/about/whatwedo/opencontent.html

You can search the collection here: https://search.getty.edu/gateway/search?q=&cat=highlight&f=%22Open+Content+Images%22&rows=10&srt=a&dir=s&pg=1

The J. Paul Getty Collection offers a rich archive of material, including artworks, photographs, historic documents, and other materials for digital download copyright free.  The website states that “Currently, there are over 100,000 images from the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Getty Research Institute available through its Open Content Program. Other images include paintings, drawings, manuscripts, photographs, antiquities, sculpture, decorative arts, artists’ sketchbooks, watercolors, rare prints from the 16th through the 18th century, and 19th-century architectural drawings of cultural landmarks.”  The Getty gives open access to images that it believes are out of copyright, but ultimately it is up to the individual user to determine rights.  It also supports fair use of its imagery.  If an image is used, the museum requests that credit be given to its Open Content Program, and that a copy of any publication be offered free of charge to the collection.

 

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A Definition of Digital Humanities

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DEFINITION OF DIGITAL HUMANITIES (DH)

Digital Humanities (DH) encompasses multiple digital formats and platforms that may be used to enhance traditional humanities pursuits, including the study, preservation, and analysis of human artifacts in all forms.   DH  allows scholars (both academic and “amateur”) and specialists in digital applications to collaborate to create new approaches to the analysis and study of written, visual, aural, video, and other creative formats.  By emphasizing process over product, DH encourages multiple approaches to the understanding of human creation.  DH also offers a unique bridge between the technical and humanistic worlds, offering both sides new tools of understanding their own work and each other’s.

WHY I DEFINE DH THIS WAY

I am trying to encompass the multitude of approaches that exist in the field, thanks to the growing power of computers, including increased storage, speed, and new software that enables “non-technical” people to do deeper work with all types of materials.  I also wanted to emphasize that I view DH as a process of collaboration, that hopefully inspires each individual scholar to explore multiple ways of interpreting and explaining the material that they are studying.  Conversely, I hope that specialists in computing and digitization are inspired to view their own endeavors in the broader context of human creation and to apply humanistic interpretation to their own work.

In writing this definition, I can see why defining DH is so frustrating.  On the one hand, you want your definition to encompass the many approaches that DH takes; on the other hand, if the definition is too broad, you lose specificity.