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NLW Digitisation Proposals

Writers Protest

Below is a letter that appeared in the Western Mail on 24 October 2007, signed by writers, adding further weight to the debate instigated by the Academi.

Writers protest

SIR – The National Library of Wales is currently digitising 90 Welsh periodicals and magazines. This project, Welsh Journals Online, aims to provide “free, online, searchable access” to complete runs of such titles as Barddas and Poetry Wales.

Set up by librarians and academics, the project does not seem to have consulted creative and professional writers or the bodies that represent them.

The project is receiving more than £840,000 in public funding. The Library, though, has not allocated any money for the people who wrote the articles, reviews, stories and poems that make up the magazines. Instead, it hopes that rights holders will allow their material to be used for free.

Writing is work. Professional writers are paid both for their work and for its re-use. In not making provision for the payment of copyright holders, the project is seriously flawed. Until this matter is addressed, writers who want to keep Welsh writing on a professional basis will not allow the National Library of Wales to digitise their work. They include:

SAM ADAMS JOHN BARNIE DESMOND BARRY GILLIAN CLARKE ANNE CLUYSENAAR TONY CURTIS STEVIE DAVIES MARIA DONOVAN MENNA ELFYN CHRISTINE EVANS CATHERINE FISHER MATTHEW FRANCIS PHILIP GROSS PAUL GROVES GRAHAM HARTILL PAUL HENRY JEREMY HOOKER MIKE JENKINS NIGEL JENKINS CYRIL JONES STEPHEN KNIGHT GWYNETH LEWIS MALCOLM LEWIS HILARY LLYWELLYN-WILLIAMS GARETH MILES \| JAN MORRIS TONY CONRAN LYNNE REES DEBORAH KAY DAVIES RICHARD MARGGRAF TURLEY GRAHAM MORT LLWYD OWEN HUGH ADAMS LESLEY GRANT-ADAMSON ANN RUFFELL TESSA HADLEY LEO AYLEN KATE NOAKES ROGER GRANELLI SHEENAGH PUGH PHIL CARRADICE HARRISON SOLOW MARIO UMBERTO FIORILLO CLARE MORGAN SALLY ROBERTS JONES MIKE PARKER EIFION JENKINS FFLUR DAFYDD JOHN WILLIAMS WENDY COPE IFOR DAVIES GWYDION THOMAS (R S Thomas estate) HUW LAWRENCE ANNE STEVENSON		PATRICK MCGUINNESS CHRISTOPHER MEREDITH CATHERINE MERRIMAN ROBERT MINHINNICK FIONA OWEN RICHARD POOLE CLARE POTTER OLIVER REYNOLDS WIL OWEN ROBERTS OWEN SHEERS MEIC STEPHENS IFOR THOMAS JENI WILLIAMS SAMANTHA WYNNE-RHYDDERCH KEVIN MILLS DUNCAN BUSH OWEN MARTELL DELYTH GEORGE HARRI PRITCHARD JONES BETHAN GWANAS TIFFANY ATKINSON ANGHARAD PRICE SION EIRIAN ANGHARAD DEVONALD DAVID WOOLLEY JOHN GOODBY TONY BROWN PASCALE PETIT NORMAN SCHWENK MEG ELIS IOAN M. WILLIAMS LLION IWAN TOM ANDERSON ALEX KEEGAN JOHN POWELL WARD CHRISTOPHER BROOKE RUTH JOSEPH HERBERT WILLIAMS MICHAEL ARNOLD WILLIAMS MARILYN JENKINS JENNY SULLIVAN TIM LIARDET DAVID LLOYD (USA) NICHOLAS MURRAY GREG CULLEN RICHARD PORCH JOHN BILSBOROUGH KATHRYN GRAY DAVID ADAMS GEORGE SZIRTES RACHEL TREZISE JOHN IDRIS JONES ROBERT NISBET ALAN PERRY

To add your name to this list in support of payment for writers, please email Oliver Reynolds: oreynolds@hotmail.co.uk

Academi Newsletter

NLW Digitisation Proposals

Writers Protest

Writers protest

Copyright for authors - the background

The Insider Column

NLW Response

Action taken by Academi Members

Letters from the Periodicals

Writers Vote

Oliver Reynolds on Copyright

Comments

Rhodri Glyn Thomas’ Response

Books Next?

The Copyright Jungle

The Society of Authors