Public Domain

This project blew me away! It was not only the most difficult, but also the most challenging! I am definantly I learned something like this because it taught me a lot. I learned how to create and run a better presentation with slides, a new way to tell a story and a great deal about copyright. I believe that everyones projects sounded and looked great! It was good to see the different kind of old and new picture and the stories they could tell! I would have changed the time arrangement for a longer period of time to introduce and to work on it because than everyone could have really gotten a good idea of a bigger story told by pictures some struggled with. Over all it taught me how to manage a research project into a story line with other peoples famous work.

Digital Archiving

I found this project to be quite challenging. It was a challenge to find appropriate photos that related to my topic. The photos that I found for my project that was not open for the public domain I had a time trying to find out how I could get the photos. I only had luck with one Librarian I contacted. Several of the photos I found that were not open for the public domain I struggled with trying to find a person to contact to get permission to use the photo. By doing this project I did learn more on researching images and photos. I believe I have more knowledge of images that are open to the public domain and images that have copyright restrictions and how to go about getting permission to use the copyright photos.

I believe the purpose of this project to give a more a feel for public domain and copyright and get us familiar with digital archives sites. I never knew that those sites were offered to the public. I also never know how to go about contacting a library for permission for usage of an image. I do think this was a good learning experience. It was a good way to familiarize the class with fair use, public domain, and copyright. I am a strong believer that actually doing hands on work is a better way of learning than sitting and listening to a professor talk about the topic.

Public Domain

When first seeing this project and the criteria for it I thought this project wasn't going to be hard at all. Well, I found out very quickly it was quite challenging. I not only had troubles finding research I had troubles finding pictures and then once I found the pictures I noticed that they were all copyrighted, so I had to find new pictures. Overall, I feel that this project was a good learning experience. It showed me how important copyright issues really are. One thing I found weird was some owner's of the pictures didn't mind if you used their picture and some wouldn't let me use their picture, even after I mentioned it was for a Collegiate research project.

I feel the point of this project was to show the meaning of copyright and how strict copyright laws actually are. I also feel the point of this project was to show us how to search and use the public domain.

Public Domain

This project was definitely a challenge. Although the photos took time to find since we were required to find the highest quality photos, seeing the incredible images was quite rewarding. I learned that there are many resources out there to find digital photos that are free to use and free from copyright. Not everyone out there is aiming to help others in exchange for money, but some enjoy sharing their wealth through images.

The point of this project was obviously to make use of the fantastic resources libraries put out for students and the public to use. The point was to become knowledgeable about librarians and how helpful they are (some at least). The point was to learn new programs and use the "public domain" to see what the internet has to offer. The point was to learn something new and be challenged, frustrated, and satisfied with the outcome and reassurance that I created something with the help of others.

Overall this project was a very good learning process and way to use new technology. It made me work hard to find something that is able to be used and shared with others for the benefit of education.

Public Domain

This project was definitely challenging...which ultimately means that I gained a lot from it. First of all, I gained the knowledge of the public domain. I learned what it was, how it works, the guidelines of it, etc. I think the knowledge of the public domain is going to to help me a lot in the future because it's a very powerful tool and it's applicable to almost all fields of study. I also gained the appreciation of history professors, librarians, and people who spend the time to put their work into the public domain through the creative commons. I liked the variety of people and things we worked with for this project. We didn't just deal with one program or look in one place for our images. We used a lot of different resources for the project and I thought that was really cool.
I think there were multiple points to this project. The first point was to learn about the public domain and how to search it. Second, to learn about the creative commons and the licenses that allow us to use the images. Third, it was to learn about the different digital archives that are all over the internet. Fourth, it was to learn the importance of librarians and how they can help us! They are very nice people and they love helping us. I don't know if learning about a topic in history was a point to this project, but I did learn a lot about my topic and I thought that was really interesting as well.  
Overall, I thought this project was very difficult...especially finding all of the images. It was hard to find images that really portrayed the historical research in the appropriate way. But it was a very important project that encompassed several different parts of the technological world. And as we all know, learning about technology is necessary for the future!

Discussion Questions

Well, as much as I don't want to admit it, I did learn some stuff from this (decidedly frustrating) project. Actually, I bet I learned a ton of stuff. One thing, I've never had to think about copyright at all as far as images are concerned, but once you start looking at that stuff you realize just how restricted almost everythiiiiiiing is. I couldn't believe how many images (and entire websites) have little (c)'s at the bottom next to the words "all rights reserved." How selfish is that. So selfish.

But also, it was good to get acquainted with the digital archives a bit (which were, like, not helpful at all for what I needed...I think with a lot of the archives we were looking at, a good deal depends on whether or not you are lucky enough for a certain archive to just happen to have a big collection relating to your subject. I mean, I looked in EVERY archive that was recommended on the assignment page, and could not even find a SINGLE map of the Punjab...which I thought maps would be, like, the most basic resource that exists). But it's good to be able to navigate those rascals I think. It doesn't hurt to have more resources.

Well, since we don't have any projects up yet, I'll just comment on mine, which was based on a very specific topic: Martyrdom in the Sikh Tradition (By Dr. Fenech). I didn't know anything about Sikhism, or martyrdom within Sikhism, and when I was reading Fenech's book, I understood very little of it. But what I got out of it was some basic facts about the religion and the emphasis this religion places on martyrdom. So I tried to put together some kind of little narrative that would give basic insight into Sikhism, with an emphasis on information relating to martyrdom. It was a pretty interesting project though, as difficult as it was, and I think it gave me a good idea of what it's like to be an image researcher. Which is something I will never. ever. do.

Digital Project

Personally I found this project to be very difficult. I am not one of the smartest people when it comes to using a computer even though I have grown up with a computer. Even though we did spend Tuesday and Thursday on the project I wish that we had a little more time in class to ask questions because I feel that some of us were in the same boat and could have pooled our questions together. I did find this project to be very helpful though with the fact that as part of my communication degree that I may have to do this exact same thing in my work place, where I wont have as much time to be able to ask the questions to finish the assignment. Once I got a on a roll I did find it neat to see how with different programs it all came together. The point of this project was to really put the knowledge that we have learned over the last few weeks and know how to do the right search in the public domain and also finding out that not all images are of free use and that there are rule behind what you can and can not use. I also found it neat to view another way to display the images other than by using for example power point or a movie software. In the end I really did learn alot of this project and have learned to press myself even further with what I can accomplish. I would like to take what I have learned over the last few weeks and apply these practices when I get a job in communications that requires these skills.I have learned that you may have to step out of your comfort zone some times to stay above the competitors.

PUBLIC DOMAIN PHOTO PROJECT

Personally, I found this project to be very difficult. I’m not whining, and I’m only stating that to give some background for one of my points. :) The primary reason it was difficult for me was because of my lack of relevant search results. What I mean is, what types of search terms (keywords) do I use to find good photo archives? I know they’re out there……
OAIster/WorldCat was somewhat helpful, and obviously it’s easy to find images in Wikimedia Commons, but how do I get into all of the university or library galleries? I tried just about every search terms you could imagine on Google and Bing:

photo gallery + library + history
“photo gallery” + library + history
Photo archive + library
Online + photo gallery
University image gallery

Just imagine all the combinations you could make with those words, and you can bet that I tried them all! As I said, I’m NOT whining, just curious as to why it is so difficult to search for these archives. Is it because they’re somehow “shielded” or too entrenched for search engines to find them? I’m dying to know. Someone please enlighten me. What’s the point of having a photo library if it’s not easily found?

Moving on, one thing that I definitely learned from this project was that Wikimedia Commons is an awesome resource. Maybe that answer sounds DUH and predictable, but it’s the truth. It’s a good resource because:

-People are regularly contributing to it (the wiki sites get used!).
-In most cases, the copyright status of the photo is clearly documented. Also, most entries generally attribute the original source.

I understand why Bettina limited the amount of pictures we could use from there. It’s EASY to find them.

Another thing I definitely learned from this work is that you HAVE to carefully verify whether or not something is indeed free to use. There were plenty of sites I found (through Creative Commons searches) that seemed ok at first, but eventually I ran into the copyright information. I suppose this would be true of even Wikimedia Commons. Theoretically, someone could have put a copyrighted image up there, and you might stumble upon it before it gets removed.

In closing, I’d like to speak freely about some thoughts this project stirred up in my head. As our class progresses, I grow more and more irritated by the strict copyright laws. If I were king, all material would be free to use for educational (non-commercial) work, PERIOD. There would be no need to get permission as long as the author was credited. I guess it all boils down to greed and dollars. As nerdy as it sounds, I really appreciate all the people out there who actually took the time to say, “You can use my work freely.” (Referring to those who put a CC license on their work or declared it open to the public domain.) I’d love to have a few words with some of the gallery holders I found during my searching………the ones with the big fat “ALL RIGHTS RESERVED” at the bottom. I’d like to tell them, “As with anything, you won’t be able to take all your dusty pictures with you after you die.” It’s one thing to claim authorship. It’s a completely different thing when some entity gathers a bunch of old pictures (that they didn’t take themselves) and then slaps a copyright on their gallery.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

I gained further knowledge about the public domain by applying material about the public domain and copyright to the project. I also learned that works in the public domain are not that easy to find. It was difficult to find the right images on sites other than Wikimedia. Once the image was found, it was challenging to find out about its copyright. It was fun, however to link images to research. I can now identify with all the people that are trying to do things legally. In addition to copyright and public domain, I learned Soundslides and Garageband. I am getting better with a Mac too!

:)

I think this project was more about copyright, public domain, and the technology of the assignment and not so much about the research. Knowing about digital archives opens a whole new world of information if you did not know about them before. I also think the point of this assignment was to demonstrate how easy it is to “steal” stuff and how difficult it is to find stuff legally, in the public domain. People are very cautious when you approach them about copyright, even if they do not own the copyright. It is as if copyright is a naughty word. I tried to contact a few people that specialized in Mounted Archery and they were cautious about communicating with me when I said the word research. If I said school project they were more open with information. I think the requirement of talking to a librarian was in the assignment to encourage people to ask for help and feel comfortable contacting people they do know. This was easy for me, not only with the librarians, but also with the professor of the topic. I also emailed a few other people that have an interest or specialize in the area. I think I might have even made a new friend in Hong Kong… We’ll see!

Discussion Questions: Photo Archiving

From this project, I gained knowledge about fair use and how to know when things are in the Public Domain. It taught me how to refine my search to pinpoint what I am looking for. It also taught me how to relate a research topic to photos and give them captions pertaining to the specific research. It also taught me how many places have digital archives and that you need to go all the way to the real collection before you can give credit to a photo.

The point of the project was to familiarize ourselves with fair use and public domain and how to recognize it and gain access to it. It was also to teach us how difficult it is to find photos pertaining to our research topic as well figuring out whether it was fair use material. Overall, this project was very frustrating and difficult. I had a difficult time finding a website that had photos in the public domain and once I did, I didn't want to contact a librarian. I'd say I have a bit better understanding of copyright after this assignment, but I got lucky by having all my photos in the public domain because they were government works that I didn't have to worry about copyright issues.

Another thing this project was useful for was that for future classes, I have many resources that I can go to for projects I may do and not worry about copyright so much.

Discussion Questions

From this project I learned about alot of the different resources that are you there and that are fair use. I also gained knownledge on how to be a professional communicatior when it came to talking to the librarians.I feel alot more confident in my ability these resources that I have never used. I am also more confident now if I need to talk to a librarian. Like we discussed in class librarians are there to help us and are great resources.

One of the problems I had was just understanding some of the research on my topic. I am not a professional n the subject I was researching so it made it a little difficult to try to make sense of some of the things that I was reading about.I did however find alot of the things I did understand pretty interesting.

I feel one of the points of this project was to just try things out. You ever really know how much information is out there or how to use the things available until you try them. I learned alot about the rules of public domain and how to stay within those boundaries when I am using different digital archives.

Discussion Questions

I found this assignment incredibly challenging. Not only did I have one heck of a time trying to locate an article on the research I was assigned, but I found that the Public Domain is not as vast as I thought it was. I found it difficult to find images that I was looking for. I think the part of this reason is because the images I was searching for were pretty specific, and a little big gruesome. The topic of death is a popular one on the regular internet and the images are plentiful, but not located in the Public Domain. Sometimes I think the reason that it's in the Public Domain is that no one really needs to use it.
While I didn't have the chance to talk to a librarian, since I only got access to my material Monday morning, I do realize how much work they have to do. They are responsible for so much material that their job would be more than stressful. I know one of the points was to appreciate how much they are responsible, and I think now I get it. I cannot imagine being in charge of the Library of Congress. The amount of responsibility that rests on the librarian's shoulders is ridiculous.
I think another reason to do this assignment is to realize how important Digital Archives are. If we did not have them, teaching would be so difficult. If we were not allowed to have this images for academic purposes , or even creative purposes, think of all that would be lost. The potential for improvement decreases at an alarming rate.

Public Domain

This was a really interesting (as well as frustrating) project.  I definitely learned more about research, particularly image research.  I better understand how to find out if an image is under copyright or not whereas before I was always wary about using images because I felt like I could never be sure what was legally usable and not; after this project I can see a license like GNU and not think "yeah, that probably means I can't use it."  This project also allowed for an inside look at what image researchers (and almost a little of what fact checkers) do.  I now know that is not something I ever want to go into. :D

I feel that the whole purpose of assigning this project was to avoid pure lecture about Public Domain but throw us into the thick of it.  There really are some things that just can't be efficiently taught without any hands on involvement, and I know that, at least for me, I wouldn't be able to remember half as much of what we have discussed regarding copyright and public domain if it weren't for this project.  We also got familiar with these various digital archives.  Digital archives can be really overwhelming, but after doing this project I think most of us could return to these archives if we needed to without spending an extra hour or two just attempting to figure the site out.  I liked that we searched for public domain images instead of just whatever images you can find and cite; it really makes a difference in the type of research we do.  Also, as I already said, being hands-on like that does efficently teach us more about copyright and different possible licensing.

This project may have been a bit of a pain (I never knew searching for images could be so difficult!), but it really did help me to better understand the various aspect related to the project that we have been talking about in class.  So I guess there is the silver lining.