Why is the Library placing pictures on Flickr?
• To share photographs from the Library’s collections with people who enjoy images but might not visit the Library’s own Web site. • To gain a better understanding of how social tagging and community input could benefit both the Library and users of the collections. • To gain experience participating in Web communities that are interested in the kinds of materials in the Library’s collections. With the launch of the Library of Congress pilot, Flickr began a new initiative called “The Commons.” Cultural heritage institutions that join The Commons are sharing images from their photographic collections that have no known copyright restrictions as a way to increase awareness of these collections with the general public. For more information on The Commons, see: http://www.flickr.com/commons. A webcast about the project is available: “Opening the Photo Vaults: A Web 2.0 Pilot Project to Enhance Discovery and Gather Input for the Library’s Photograph Collections” (presented Jan. 29, 2008). Q
