Formulating a Scalable Approach to Patron-Requested Digitization in Archives

The novel coronavirus of 2019 (COVID-19) crisis has forced archives to rethink their modes providing access physical collections. Whereas difficult copyright questions raised by reproducing items could previously be skirted requiring researchers work with materials in person, the long-term closure reading rooms and decrease long-distance travel mean that need a workflow for handling user digitization requests is scalable requires consulting only easily identifiable information and, assuming full reproduction off table, collection under 17 U.S.C. § 108 or through strategy rapid risk assessment. There challenge creating policy will across different formats genres archival materials, so this article offers some suggestions how think about these parameters according US law calls committee experts out model serve remote users collections even after COVID-19 passed.