Subject: CoSA Statement on Digital Access Partnerships

The Council of State Archivists is pleased to announce that it has
issued a "Statement on Digital Access Partnerships." A full copy of the
statement is available at http://www.statearchivists.org/issues/ocp/
<http://www.statearchivists.org/issues/ocp/> 

The statement was developed by the CoSA Task Force on Online Content
Providers (OCP) and approved by the CoSA Board of Directors on Thursday,
April 19, 2007. It is intended to provide guidance to state archives for
engaging in partnership negotiations with online content providers such
as Ancestry.com, iArchives, the Genealogical Society of Utah, and
others. 

We believe that the advice it offers also will be helpful to other
record holders, especially local governments, who bear responsibility
for public records.

Statement of Intent (from the document):

"The members of the OCP Task Force believe that private/public
partnerships with online content providers present tremendous
opportunities for state archives and for the content providers. Such
partnerships also present challenges, which include: ensuring long-term
access to and preservation of the records for state archives users,
keeping public records public, protecting the rights of citizens,
ensuring the soundness of tax dollar investment and providing a
transparent view of the government process. Each state and local
government will have different options to consider when discussing
partnerships with private vendors. This Task Force intends to outline
these contractual considerations and provide possible solutions or
examples as developed by individual states and the vendor."

The CoSA Board has encouraged the state archives to use the statement if
and when their states engage an online content provider (OCPs). We have
also asked them share it with local governments in their states. We know
that many local governments have already been contacted by OCPs and
believe that the guidance provided here will also be applicable at the
local level.

The Task Force on Online Content Providers will continue to work under
the leadership of chair, Mark Harvey (MI), to develop additional
resources. The Task Force will be discussing this statement with the
OCPs themselves, with local government associations at the national
level, and with genealogical and other user groups. 

The Task Force would appreciate hearing about experiences in negotiating
contracts with online content providers. Feel free to contact Mark
Harvey

([log in to unmask]) or CoSA President Karl Niederer
([log in to unmask]

) with any information or questions or information you might have.

The CoSA Board of Directors commends the Task Force on Online Content
Providers for its rapid response to a this important challenge, and for
providing an excellent foundation for all of us to use in building
digital access partnerships. A listing of all state archivists and staff
who participated in the Task Force's deliberations appears at the end of
the Statement. They deserve our collective thanks.


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