This message is in response to a question submitted by Mike Engle regarding microfilm copies of newspapers that may have been produced by the New York State Historical Association (NYSHA) in Cooperstown, N.Y. He was concerned about an announcement at the beginning of a microfilm reproduction that states that the film is not to be reproduced without permission of the New York State Historical Association.

Although he doesn’t identify the newspaper in question, NYSHA has contributed to a number of microfilming projects over the past 30 years. In addition to participating in the New York State Newspaper Project, we collaborated on a microfilming project of local nineteenth century newspapers with the State University of New York at Oneonta in the mid-1970s. As NYSHA produced the master negatives for these projects, it owns the microfilm format of the newspaper. Permission to reproduce the entire microfilm should be requested from the NYSHA Research Library. We would be glad to provide services copies from the master negatives for anyone who would like to have copies of particular newspapers in our collection. A complete list of microfilmed newspapers in the NYSHA Research Library is available on the New York State Newspaper Programs’ website: http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/nysnp/239.htm

I also would like to state that NYSHA does not own the copyright to these newspapers, many of which are in the public domain. Photocopies produced from the microfilm can be made without permission from NYSHA. Since one of NYSHA’s primary goals is to encourage research in New York State History, we are glad that people are making use of the microfilmed newspapers that we have produced. If I can be of further assistance, please let me know.

______________________________________

Melissa McAfee

Research Library Director

New York State Historical Association

The Farmers' Museum

PO Box 800 Lake Road

Cooperstown, NY 13326

607 547 1473 (tel)

607 547 1405 (fax)

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Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2003 14:56:06 -0500

From: mike engle <[log in to unmask]>

Subject: Microfilm copywrites (newspapers)

Hello list,

I have a question I hope someone can answer.

I was at SUNY Oneonta, and they had the Cooperstown, NY newspaper on microfilm, and I ran into something I have never seen before. At the begining, the microfilm was copywrited by the NYS Historical Society. Basicly saying that you can't make copies FROM that microfilm and publish it, without consent from the NYSHS.

Now my question is this. I've never seen this copywrite notice on any other microfilm. For example. the Sidney, NY historical society has their newspapers on microfilm, without a copywrite notice. Does this mean that the Sidney microfilm is not copywrited by their historical society?

Best Regards

Mike Engle