Introducing CASPER
Well we have finally got the blog for Project Casper up and running so here is a brief introduction about what we have been doing so far.
First things first what is CASPER?
CASPER stands for Copyright Advice and Support Project for Electronic Resources
The project is being funded by JISC and managed by JISC Collections to provide advice and support in the clearance of copyright for e-Learning projects funded as part of the Re-Use of Learning Content call (RePRODUCE) funded by the JISC e-Learning Programme ).
CASPER will be helping the 19 projects funded as part of RepRoduce to clear the rights in the content they will be using and re-using so that it can be made available to e-learning repositories such as Jorum. To do this CASPER will be pulling together existing best practice in the clearance of rights generally and in e-learning materials in particular from sources such as HEFCE, the JISC IPR Consultants, the TRustDR project, Richard McCracken, the MLA and any other sources we can find and that are of use. We’ll be directing projects to that information, explaining it to them and helping them act upon and implement it in the context of their own projects.
Where necessary CASPER will create new materials in support of this, adapt existing materials so that they meet the needs of the projects or where it makes sense undertake the clearance ourselves, but the emphasis is on building capacity in the projects themselves and by disseminating the experiences of those projects the community more generally.
Capturing and documenting the experience of the projects is a key part of the CASPER project. Whilst we’ll be hoping for as much success as possible in the clearance of rights, the failure to clear rights can also be instructive. For example, how did publicly funded organisations compare with commerical organisations? How did different types of media compare? Why did some rights holders refuse to clear rights? What approaches worked in different situations? How much time and effort did it really take? etc.
Based on these experiences we’ll be offering recommendations to JISC and the wider community on the steps to take to maximise the chances of clearing rights, and thinking about the central support that organisations like the JISC can offer to help institutions embarking on rights clearance for the e-learning materials.
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