Permission to use collections
The main factors relating to the publication and reproduction of images of documents held at the Somerset Heritage Centre are those of copyright, gaining permission for publication from the owner of the document and whether or not a reproduction fee is to be charged.
What do I need permission for?
Permission is needed to publish or share images or full transcripts of documents held at the Somerset Heritage Centre, whether in electronic form (including websites and social media) or in hard copy (including books, pamphlets, journals, reports) and for use in exhibitions, talks or on television. Full citations of the source, including acknowledgement to the SWHT and full reference numbers, are also required.
With the exception of the Strachey Collection (DD/SH), the publishing of short transcriptions/excerpts from documents does not require permission, as long as a full citation of the source is given.
Due to Ancestry’s current copyright/ownership policy we can’t grant permission for images of documents held at the Somerset Heritage Centre to be made available on Ancestry accounts.
Who do I need to ask for permission?
In the first instance permission requests should be directed to the South West Heritage Trust (SWHT). The Trust has the authority to make direct decisions for items in some collections. However, in many cases staff will need to contact the owner to ask for permission. We allow depositors up to 4 weeks to reply. It is important that you provide as much information to us as possible about your proposed publication, etc., to help with this process. Occasionally the owner may decline permission, or if the depositor cannot be traced, we may advise you that any use of the image would be at your own discretion.
Copyright
It is usually relatively easy to decide who owns a document. However, the ownership of copyright in documents can be a much more complex matter and is dealt with in our Copyright guide.
In many cases the owner of a document will not be the owner of copyright. It is your responsibility to ensure that copyright is not being infringed before publishing any images of documents held by the South West Heritage Trust. To do this you will need to identify and contact the copyright holder if necessary.
How do I apply for permission?
Applications for permission to publish, share, exhibit or broadcast images of documents or full transcripts of documents need to be made in writing, via the attached form. Please provide as much detail as possible, including full document reference numbers, as it will help with the assessment of the application. Please submit one form per publication, and only list the documents you intend to use. If you wish to use multiple images from one document, please note this on the form.
Once a decision has been made you will be contacted in writing, confirming the decision, and confirming the reproduction fee if applicable. Please do not proceed with publication, etc., until you have received this written confirmation.
The information submitted on this form will be retained permanently by the SWHT, to maintain details on the use of our collections.
When do I need to pay and how much will it be?
Reproduction fees vary according to how an image will be used. Details of our fees can be found below. The fees do not include the costs for any copying work carried out by the SWHT. If you wish us to supply any copies please submit a research and copying request form for which separate fees will apply. A separate invoice will be issued once permission has been granted. Occasionally a depositor may also request a fee to publish images. We will advise you if this is the case.
If you are unable to determine whether copyright applies and decide not to proceed with the publication of the image(s) then please let us know. In this case we will refund you accordingly (minus a £10 administration charge if applicable).
We request that a copy of all printed or electronic publications be gifted to the South West Heritage Trust, in addition to any publication fees.
Notes
1. A minimum fee of £10.00 will be charged in all instances. However, this will not be charged in addition to the specific fees per item. For example, the charge for 1 item for a not for profit local publication will be £10.00 (not £20.00).
2. Print run not to exceed 500. Local means relating to a village or community. Academic publications are counted as commercial publications even if they have a small print run. Publication means either print or electronic.
3. Includes academic journals. Publication means either print or electronic.
4. For example, local community organisations. You will be asked to provide the site URL.
5. Includes websites which charge a subscription fee for access to content. You will be asked to provide the site URL.
6. Local exhibitions which last less than one week will be free of charge.
7. All TV permissions will include the right to show the programme on multiple occasions.
8. Attendance fees are not applicable if the visit is as a result of a South West Heritage Trust press release.
Download permission form
