Policies and Practices in Access to Digital Archives: Towards a New Research and Policy Agenda

This course has been developed to meet the specific needs of established professionals looking to deepen their impact on policy issues related to digitital archives. The creation of a diverse coalition of experts is an envisioned goal of the course.

Practitioners from the field of archives, research, law and policy making are encouraged to apply. The course deals with the contemporary complexities of accessibility and the long-term preservation of archival material within institutional settings. It will explore the driving/prohibitive role of IPR and various implications of the regulation of digital material: Will access to primary sources become the luxury of the few under a new type of digital divide? Do we have evidential data of the market value of digitised archival collections? What kind of policy agenda will ensure the future availability of cultural heritage content? What kind of strategy will guarantee that archives within the digital European single market are sustainable? The course will consist of intensive teaching sessions and participants will be expected to prepare a paper in advance for presentation purposes.

Please note that places are limited to 30 participants and offered on a competitive basis. This summer course is able to offer a limited amount of grants. Applicants will be asked to explain what their engagement with archival material is and what particular policy-related issues they consider most challenging. The deadline for application is February 15, 2012.

For further information and to apply, please visit the CEU Summer University website:
http://www.summer.ceu.hu/node/350