The Commons Programs
Author of this post: Kevin Kelly | About Blog Authors »Flickr and the Library of Congress have joined forces and created an exciting new program.
If all goes according to plan, the project will significantly expand the reach of the Library by making its collections vastly more accessible. So far, more than 3000 photographs from two of the Library’s most popular collections have been posted to Flickr’s pages. Users are encouraged to tag, comment on, and annotate these images, just like they would any other Flickr photo. The hope is that this added information–courtesy of Web 2.0–will enhance the collection, benefiting researchers, the public at large and posterity.
Hundreds of color photographs from the 30s and 40s, including the one above, were recently posted to Flickr pages.
In addition, and as part of the project, Flickr has drafted a new usage statement for publicly held photographic collections called “The Commons.” It reads “no known copyright restrictions,” and it’s attached to every image that’s been posted to date. As I understand it, this new usage is limited to the Library of Congress account for the time being. However, it seems the hope is that other cultural institutions will post their materials under the same agreement.
I think this is a really great project, and it’s already proving immensely popular. In the first 24 hours after the launch, over 4000 unique tags and more than 500 comments were added. I suggest you get in on the act.
