AAPB Online Reading Room Rules of Use

The American Archive of Public Broadcasting (the “AAPB”) is a project managed collaboratively by the WGBH Educational Foundation ("GBH") and the Library of Congress (“we” or “us”). The AAPB seeks to preserve and make accessible significant historical content created by public media, and the AAPB’s Online Reading Room (the “ORR”) plays a central role in our mission. In the ORR, you can view and listen to thousands of hours of digitized archival materials free of charge. We make the ORR and all content therein available in accordance with the copyright law of the United States, including the legal doctrine of fair use (17 U.S.C. 107), for research, educational, and informational purposes only.

1. Authorized Users

By using or accessing the ORR, you accept and agree to be bound by these Rules of Use (“Rules”). If you are using the ORR on behalf of an organization, you accept these Rules on behalf of your organization, agree that your organization is bound by these Rules, and represent that you have the authority to bind your organization to these Rules. In such cases, “you” and “your” refers to both you as an individual and your organization. We reserve the right to revoke your authorization to use the ORR in our sole discretion at any time.

2. Authorized Uses

2.a. The ORR is providing access to materials from the AAPB for research, educational, and informational purposes only. Use of the ORR content for any other purpose is unauthorized. You are authorized to use audiovisual content in the ORR for private viewing only on a streaming, non-downloadable basis unless the item is specifically designated as downloadable. We make no warranty with regard to the use of the ORR content for these or other purposes.

2.b. You are solely responsible for legal assessments regarding your use of any ORR content other than as explicitly authorized by these Rules, and for securing any legally required permissions for such use, such as may relate to intellectual property laws and rights of publicity and privacy.

2.c. You may link to materials from this website without seeking permission as long as you properly credit the AAPB and the contributing organization as follows: [Title], [Date], [name of organization that contributed the materials to the AAPB], American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Only other authorized users will be able to follow your link.

2.d. If you use the ORR in connection with any research that results in a publication, we request that you credit the AAPB in your bibliography (if any) and that you include in the citation a unique AAPB web address for each AAPB record cited. The collection includes many similarly titled materials, so to ensure that future users can easily locate the records you have cited, we advise the use of unique AAPB web addresses.

2.e. In using or accessing the ORR, you agree not to (i) act in any way that might give rise to civil or criminal liability, (ii) collect or store personal data about anyone, (iii) infringe any copyright, trademark, patent, or other proprietary rights of any person, (iv) violate anyone’s rights of privacy, publicity, or any other personal right, (v) interfere with the activities of any other user or of the AAPB, its servers, or resources, (vi) use or attempt to use any other user’s password to access the ORR, and (vii) harass or threaten anyone.

3. Rights

3.a. ORR content may be governed by local, national, and/or international laws and regulations, including intellectual property laws. Privacy, publicity, and other personal rights may also apply.

3.b. The nature of ORR content often makes it difficult to determine the content’s copyright status. Though the AAPB tries when possible to provide information about copyright owners and related matters in catalog records, finding aids, and other texts that accompany collections or individual items, which may assist you in making necessary legal determinations, we make no representation or guarantee that such information is accurate, complete, or current. The absence of copyright information does not mean there is no copyright protection. ORR content may be protected by copyright even where we have not provided any rights information. The information we provide is not legal advice.

3.c. In all cases, even those where we provide you with available copyright information, it is your responsibility to determine and satisfy all copyright and other use restrictions before making any use of ORR content not explicitly authorized by these Rules. Transmission or reproduction of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or otherwise permitted by law requires the written permission of the rights holders. Securing such permissions may require the payment of fees. You must make your own assessments of rights in light of your intended use.

3.d. We do not own rights to most of the material in the ORR collections. We therefore cannot grant or deny permission for any use of ORR content. Please keep in mind that we may be able to make greater use of ORR content than you; we may have rights to use and display ORR content that you may not.

3.e. If you have rights-related or other information about an item you've seen on the AAPB, please contact the Project Manager for the AAPB at GBH with your contact details, the additional information, and a link to the relevant content, so that appropriate information may be provided to future users. If you provide us with any such materials, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual right to use those materials.

3.f. If you are the owner of a copyright in ORR content and believe your work has not been properly attributed to you or has been used without permission, we want to hear from you. Please contact the Project Manager for the AAPB at GBH with your contact details, a link to the relevant content, and a description of the location of your copyrighted material within the content (if necessary). See our general Terms of Service for more information.

4. Password-Protected Uses

4.a. We may, at our sole discretion, provide you with a password to access certain materials not otherwise available via the ORR. In that event, this Section 4 shall apply to your password-protected use and access of the ORR.

4.b. You agree to supply all required information and comply with AAPB procedures in requesting password-protected access. You agree that any information you supply in connection with your request shall be accurate and complete.

4.c. You agree to use your password only to access the materials for which it was granted. No other use of your password to access the ORR is authorized.

4.d. Your password is personal to you. You agree not to recirculate your password to any other people or organizations, and to report any breach in the security of your password, or its unauthorized use, promptly to the Project Manager for the AAPB.

5. Liability

5.a. You agree to indemnify us and our subsidiaries, affiliates, agents, officers, directors, trustees, and employees (collectively the “Indemnified Parties”) from and against any and all liability, loss, claims, damages, costs, penalties, and/or actions (including attorneys’ fees) if your use of the ORR creates any liability for the Indemnified Parties.

5.b. You are solely liable for any use you make of the ORR, and you agree to refrain from seeking indemnification from the Indemnified Parties if your use creates any liability for you.

6. Rules

We reserve the right to modify the Rules at any time for any reason, without providing you with any notice. Your continued access and use of the ORR after any such modifications have been made will constitute your acceptance of and agreement to be bound by such modifications. Accordingly, please review the Rules regularly for updates.