Plan and prepare

Before putting a document, photograph, or recording in a public library, make a record of the permission you rely on. Store the item's identifier, creator when known, source, stated license or rights notice, and the intended use. Keeping this information with the item makes future editing and distribution easier to review.

Distinguish access from permission. A work available on a website may still have restrictions on reuse, and a donated physical copy does not automatically include publishing rights. When a license is stated, save its exact name, version, and link along with the date you checked it. Preserve any attribution wording the creator requests.

Use a clear process

Use clear status labels such as 'permission documented,' 'review needed,' and 'restricted from public release.' These are workflow labels, not legal conclusions. If the evidence is unclear, hold publication while the responsible person obtains appropriate advice or permission. Do not guess that an old-looking or widely shared work is unrestricted.

Record the scope of any written permission: which item, which uses, which audience, and any time or format limits. Keep correspondence in a protected project folder. Before creating translations, adaptations, or downloadable bundles, check whether those uses are included. A permission granted for one exhibition may not cover every future edition.

Worked example

Imagine a local history project receives a photograph from someone who appears in it but did not take it. The intake record can identify the donor and photographer separately, record what the donor actually knows, and mark publication status for review. The project may preserve the photograph under its intake arrangement while still needing to resolve the proposed public use. The record should avoid a misleading shortcut such as 'donated, therefore free to publish.' It should instead show the evidence available and the specific decision that remains outstanding.

Decisions and exceptions

Create fields for the item identifier, intended publication, evidence location, decision status, reviewer, and review date. When relying on a stated license, retain a copy or reliable record of the notice associated with that particular item, not merely a site's general homepage. If permission arrives in correspondence, link the register to the protected message and summarize its practical scope. Keep the full evidence available to authorized reviewers. A short public rights statement can then be prepared from the verified record without exposing private email addresses or unrelated correspondence.

Check and improve

Use the register at the actual release step. Before a bundle is published, compare its file list with the approved items and check whether the planned format, audience, or modifications have changed. Hold unresolved items outside the release rather than mixing them into a collection marked ready. If a creator later raises a concern, the item identifier should lead directly to the evidence and publication history. Record the response and any change to access. The register does not settle difficult rights questions by itself, but it prevents those questions from being hidden inside a folder labeled 'approved.'

Solo and community application

Alone, use a small spreadsheet for the material in your personal project. A community archive can assign a reviewer and require the publishing volunteer to check status before release. Keep sensitive contributor details out of the public catalog while providing the credit and rights statement that readers need.

Reference guidance

The Library of Congress advises users to assess rights and obtain permission when required. This register is a recordkeeping aid, not a legal opinion. Review entries whenever the intended use changes and retain the evidence that supported each publication decision, including any later correction or withdrawal from public access.