Policy

1. Use of digital content

Unless expressly stated otherwise, all elements of the digital content and materials made available through this site are copyright of NUI Galway, and are being made available solely for the purposes of research and education. Duplication or reproduction of this content, other than as permitted by copyright legislation, or authorised by our repository, is prohibited.

Permission to use digital content cannot be guaranteed, and should not be presumed. Please contact the team at NUI Galway’s Digital Library for further details.

If you are requesting permission to reproduce any image or other digital file, please provide the following details with your request: image persistent identifier, details of the collection to which the image belongs, and the purpose for which the image is to be used.

If written permission to reproduce a digital file is granted, no right, title or interest in the online materials, services, or metadata elements is transferred to the User, and the User acquires no ownership of copyright or other intellectual property rights.

If written permission to reproduce a digital file is granted for a specific purpose, the User may only use the online materials, services, or metadata elements for that purpose and for the time period necessary to achieve that purpose subject to section 3 below.

The User acknowledges that NUI Galway makes no representation or warranty, express or implied as to the accuracy, reliability or completeness of any digital content and materials made available to the User and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by the NUI Galway with regard to same.

2. Appropriate citation

The reproduction of any content, once permitted by copyright legislation and authorised by the copyright or intellectual property owner requires an appropriate attribution of the source.

Citations of specific collections or objects from NUI Galway’s Digital Collections should include:

• Title of the collection
• Title of the object
• Date of source object
• NUI Galway’s Digital Collections credited as publisher
• Collection reference number, or persistent identifier

For example

Cusack Archive. Printed receipt for the Dublin Cemeteries Office with handwritten insertion; regarding sum paid by John Cusack for the interment of Michael Cusack in Prospect Cemetery on 02 November; signed by clerk, 02 November [circa 1900]. NUI Galway Digital Collections, P95/16.

3. Use of Metadata

Where metadata is made available, its copyright rests with the James Hardiman Library, NUI Galway. It may be re-used without prior permission in any medium provided the Library is acknowledged and cited.

4. Digital Library code and documentation

4.1

Documents or web pages referenced or linked to in NUI Galway’s Digital Collections are not covered by NUI Galway licences, and users should consult the resource for information regarding re-use. NUI Galway Digital Collections assumes no responsibility for the content of external links.

4.2 

A range of resources including codes and software are stored in NUI Galway Digital Collections pages. Code and software for NUI Galway’s Digital Collections is covered by its own licences, and must not be re-used in any medium without formal permission.

4.3 

The User shall indemnify NUI Galway for the improper use and/or breach of Intellectual Property law in relation to the User’s use of documentation and code and software referred to in section 4.1 and 4.2 above.

5. Data Protection

The User shall (and shall procure that any individual involved with the User in the use of any digital content and materials) comply with all applicable provisions of the Data Protection Acts 1988 -2003 as may be amended and shall ensure that where the User is processing personal data (as defined in the Data Protection Acts 1988 -2003 as may be amended) ensure that they have in place appropriate technical measures to guard against the unlawful or unauthorised use of personal data and to protect it against it accidental or authorised loss or disclosure.

1. Rights Policy

1.1 

Staff at the NUI Galway Library will keep due diligence files tracing any rights negotiations and copyright clearance, including any duration of clearance, or restrictions on access.

1.2 

Staff at the NUI Galway Library will make reasonable efforts to trace rights holders of the materials held in, or made available by NUI Galway’s Digital Collections.

1.3 

The NUI Galway Library will use reasonable endeavours to abide by any agreements, licences or copyright legislation restricting access. Any breach of such restrictions on the NUI Galway Digital Collections web pages will endeavour to be rectified once identified.

2. Digital Library takedown notice

2.1

Items may be taken down at the request of the author/copyright holder. Acceptable reasons for withdrawal include:

• Proven copyright violation or plagiarism
• Legal requirements and proven violations
• National Security
• Falsified research
• Requirement of NUI Galway

2.2 

In other cases where a complaint is received about an aspect of the Digital Collections, a member of NUI Galway’s Digital Collections staff will:

(a) Acknowledge the complaint in writing.

(b) Make an initial judgement (obtaining advice from the relevant university staff, or professional legal advice if necessary) of the validity of the complaint, and:

• If the complaint is in the view of NUI Galway plausible based on Irish law, the resource will removed or access will be suspended pending verification of the complaint
• If the complaint is judged to be implausible or incorrect, we will inform the complainant of this, and reasons for same.

(c) Will advise the person who deposited the resource in question, outline the nature of the complaint, and give them the opportunity to address the complaint.

(d) Will investigate the complaint in full, obtaining advice as required, and contact the complainant and the depositor with the result of this investigation and what action we have taken or will take.

(e) If the investigation finds in the complainant’s favour, and access can no longer be permitted or negotiated for by NUI Galway, then action will be taken to remedy the issue up to and including the removal of the resource from the NUI Galway Digital Collections, including from any backup storage. Metadata will be retained, but will not be made public.

(f) If the investigation concludes that the complaint is not valid, the item will remain accessible.

1. Content Policy

The following content will be considered for inclusion within the Digital Library:

• Images (.tif, .jpg, .jp2, .psd, .raw)
• Digital audio files (.wav, .mp3)
• Digital video and film (.mp4)
• Text files (.txt, .doc, .docx, .odt, .pdf, PDF/A)
• Digitised manuscripts (.tif, .jpg, .jp2, .pdf)
• Web resources (.dtd, .html, .xhtml, .jsp)
• Presentational resources (.odp, .ppt, .pptx)
• Datasets, for example statistical, experimental or analysis data (please contact the NUI Galway Digital Library team for specific advice)
• The outputs of research activity or projects
• Resources purchased for institutional or course use of the above types

If you have documentation in a format that is not covered in this list, please contact the Digital Library team for further advice.

2.  Submission Policy

1.1 

Resources may be deposited by academic staff, registered students, and employees of the institution, or their delegated agents, following consultation with the Digital Collections Staff at NUI Galway.

1.2 

Resources will be moderated and quality controlled before being made active within the Digital Collections, unless a prior workflow agreements has been reached which passes such responsibility to a delegated agent.

3.  Preservation Policy

3.1

Items will be retained indefinitely unless otherwise decided at the discretion of NUI Galway.

3.2 

NUI Galway Digital Library staff will work to ensure continued readability and accessibility

• Items will be migrated to new file formats where necessary.
• It may not be possible to guarantee the readability of some unusual file formats.

1.3 

NUI Galway’s Digital Collections will back up its files according to the University’s backup policy.

1.4

The original bit stream is retained for all items, in addition to any upgraded formats.

1.5 

Items are allocated a checksum to facilitate the detection of alterations.

1.6 

If necessary, an updated version may be deposited. The earlier version may be withdrawn from public view.