PDF version
of these terms
POSTING ADDRESS: Send all messages to
LocalGovt_Archives@lists.maine.edu
TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE:
The address to subscribe to the list is
LocalGovt_Archives-subscribe-request@lists.maine.edu.
The address to signoff to the list is
LocalGovt_Archives-unsubscribe-request@lists.maine.edu
or LocalGovt_Archives-signoff-request@lists.maine.edu
The list web site may be found at http://lists.maine.edu/archives/localgovt_archives.html
LGAL TERMS OF PARTICIPATION
Mission
The Local Government Archives List (LGAL) is designed to facilitate
timely communications among the archivists, records managers, local
government officials, and others who work to preserve Local Government
records of enduring value in the United States.
Background
In 2005, the Council of State Archivists (CoSA) received a two-year
grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission
(NHPRC) to support a project designed to lay the groundwork for stronger
local government archives in each state. The project will analyze current
conditions and determine what services, standards, and funding strategies
will work best to ensure the long-term preservation of and access to
local government records.
The Local Government Archives List, along with the
CoSA website, will enable all of those interested in the project to
receive information about and make contributions throughout the process.
CoSA has established the Local Government Archives List for this project,
but hopes it will prove to be a valuable tool beyond the life of the
project for those who work with Local Government records and will continue
to sponsor it as long as it is actively used.
Local government records represent the foundation
of the U.S. archival system and are truly "Closest to Home,"
created and used in the communities in which we, as citizens, live and
work. They are arguably the records that most affect our daily lives
and those of our neighbors, documenting our marriages; the education
of our children; the homes, land, and businesses we own; the social
services we receive; and civil and criminal legal proceedings in our
communities.
Scope of the List
The Local Government Archives List (LGAL) is intended to facilitate
discussion on issues facing those who work to ensure the preservation
of and access to Local Government records. At the outset, it will be
used to disseminate information about and ask for feedback on the Local
Government Archives project, “Closest to Home,” although
other postings are encouraged as well. The LGAL is not intended to address
the day-to-day work of archivists in general--the Archives
and Archivists Listserv already exists for that purpose. Postings
to the LGAL should be related to the care of Local Government records
and the special challenges that face those who care for them.
Posters to the List are encouraged to use the subject
line to clearly indicate the topic involved.
Subjects to be avoided include:
* Off-topic discussions;
* Spam;
* Messages unrelated to archives or the profession;
* Commercial advertisements for goods or services;
* Messages directed to specific individuals (contact them directly);
* Flames (personal attacks); and
* Virus warnings, chain letters, or "please post widely" messages.
Generally, such messages are hoaxes;
Participants
Anyone may subscribe to the List, although it is intended primarily
for those who regularly work with Local Government records.
Only subscribers can search and view the posting archives.
Those wishing to post to the List agree to abide by
these Terms of Participation; to restrict their messages to the scope
of the List; to respect the interests and rights of other readers and
of the List host; to follow generally accepted principles of netiquette;
and to respect the law.
The List is unmoderated. Hence, individuals are solely
responsible for their postings and are expected to be self-policing.
The List sponsor and manager reserve the right to
block an individual from posting if off-topic or abusive postings threaten
to disrupt the functioning of the List. Further, the List manager may
block an individual from posting if he or she believes that the individual
has violated these Terms of Participation and has persisted in postings
messages that violate these Terms after notice from the manager. An
individual blocked from posting may be allowed to resume posting when
the List manager and sponsors feel that the individual is willing to
abide by these guidelines.
Copyright Notice
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY. CoSA considers all messages posted to the Local
Government Archives List to be a form of publication. One of the primary
purposes of this List is to provide a vehicle for quick and easy dissemination
of information about the Local Government Archives project, “Closes
to Home.” To facilitate this intent, while authors of messages
to LGAL retain the copyright in those messages, sending messages to
this List constitutes permission to LGAL and its subscribers for electronic
distribution of those messages and downloading for nonprofit educational
purposes with proper attribution to the author, the originating List,
and the date of original postings.
Original messages to LGAL are not in the public domain
and may not be used for other than educational, nonprofit purposes without
the permission of the copyright holder and notification to LGAL. In
general, the author retains copyright rights to publication of any submission
to the List, and grants to LGAL and CoSA permission to store, disseminate
with full attribution, and make available to subscribers such submissions
without further permission.
As members of a profession directly associated with
protecting the intellectual property rights of authors whose works are
in our custody, participants are encouraged to set a high standard of
respect for copyright with the above provisions in mind.
Participants forwarding messages written by others
should recognize that they are effectively publishing those messages.
Participants should assume that any material not authored personally
to be protected by copyright. As such, the participant should consider
the possibility that they are violating the original author's copyright
and that they are opening themselves to the possibility of litigation.
Simply put, copyrighted material beyond brief quotations
should not be posted to the List without appropriate permissions. Participants
wishing to direct others to copyrighted text are encouraged to post
a link to the copyrighted materials on the web as long as: a) such links
do not circumvent any fees charged by the site; b) the URL is not to
a site which is itself in violation of copyright.
PARTICIPANTS ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL MATERIALS
THEY POST TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ARCHIVES LIST.
Individuals or organizations who feel their copyright
has been infringed should send a hard-copy letter (on letterhead, if
appropriate) to the Executive Director, Council of State Archivists,
308 East Burlington Street #189, Iowa City IA 52240. Complaints should:
a) specify the content they believe to be infringed;
b) the date of posting;
c) other information necessary to identify the content in question,
and;
d) include a clear statement that the individual making the complaint
is the owner of copyright or authorized to act on behalf of the owner
of copyright. On receipt of a bona fide complaint of copyright infringement,
the List manager will contact the individual(s) responsible for the
alleged violation and request that the individual(s) cease future postings
from that source. If the individual making the post believes the complaint
to be in error or that that the material has been misidentified, it
is the responsibility of the individual making the post to earn acknowledgement
of error/misidentification either from the complainant or from a court
of law, at which point CoSA will permit future postings.
If CoSA receives multiple, bona fide complaints regarding
an individual posting copyrighted materials, the List manager may block
posts from that individual as described in Participation.
Netiquette
For a general discussion of netiquette, see Netiquette by Virginia Shea:
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/book/index.html
Messages should trigger discussion through a question
or observation, or should further a discussion by adding something new.
Participants should remember that other readers receive
messages in a different context from the author. Messages—especially
responses—should be long enough to be understandable, including
enough of the original message (by quoting or paraphrasing) to provide
context. However, when replying to a message, avoid including the full
text of long messages.
Avoid inflammatory remarks of a personal nature. Similarly,
when reading a message, be slow to take offense. In general, assume
that an individual had good intentions when posting a message, but the
rapidity of the medium, the lack of visual cues, and other factors may
make an otherwise innocent message seem insulting. Countering with insults
on the List is considered off-topic.
Participants should consider whether their reply is
of interest to the List as a whole or only to the individual making
the posting. Do not automatically use the reply key (which usually responds
to the whole List). The best and most experienced participants will
occasionally make this mistake, which is entirely forgivable.
Avoid posting styled text (messages formatted with
html code) to the List, as many e-mail readers and the digest readers
are unable to read these messages easily.
List Ownership
The Local Government Archives List is sponsored by the Council
of State Archivists and hosted by the Maine
State Archives through the courtesy of the University of Maine.
Copies of this document and additional information about this List are
available on the CoSA website at http://www.statearchivists.org/lga/listserv/listservterms.htm.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
The Local Government Archives List (LGAL) is sponsored
by the Council of State Archivists (CoSA) <http://www.statearchivists.org>.
Additional information about the List, including terms
of participation, may be found at <http://www.statearchivists.org/lga/listserv/>.
To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to: LocalGovt_Archives-unsubscribe-request@lists.maine.edu
or LocalGovt_Archives-signoff-request@lists.maine.edu
Disclaimer
The opinions and views expressed on this List and the information
provided by the participants do not necessarily reflect the opinions,
views, or policies of the Council of State Archivists or other sponsoring
institutions or organizations.
