Deposit Agreement and data access licencing
When data is deposited with the ADS depositors must agree that the ADS can disseminate their data freely and openly online by signing a Deposit Agreement.
The Deposit Agreement is sent by email to the individual identified in the Collection-level metadata following deposit of the data.
The Deposit Agreement is a contract that the ADS enters into with a depositor that provides the legal permissions needed to allow the ADS to preserve and make freely accessible the deposited data. By agreeing to the Deposit Agreement the depositor is also confirming that all fair processing notices have been given (and/or, as applicable, consents obtained) and that the data collection does not and will not contravene any laws.
How data can be used by others is also determined by the reuse licence specified within the Deposit Agreement.
The ADS strongly advocates making data as widely reusable as possible through open, permissive, re-use licences. The ADS recommends the use of one of the following licences:
The ADS recognises that these licences are not always suitable for all scenarios and there may be legitimate reasons for requesting a more restrictive reuse licence.
One of the most common restrictions on data is the use of a non-commercial clause in reuse licences. These clauses prohibit the use of materials in a commercial environment. As much Historic Environment research is carried out in the UK in a commercial environment we strongly advise against using non-commercial reuse licences for your data and may refuse to take your data if no legitimate reason is given.
If you wish to discuss other reuse licence options for your archive please contact our Collections Team.
