NLW Digitisation Proposals

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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 (then) Academi, representing members of Yr Academi Gymreig / The Welsh Academy.

 

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

Writers protest

Copyright for authors - the background

The Insider Column

NLW Response

Action taken by Welsh Academy 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