MinDocDigPro

MinDocDigPro is The Minnstf Document Digitization Project. This project has two major goals:

1. Preserve MNstf documents via digitization.
2. Make MNstf documents widely available on the web.

There are two major challenges:

1. Actually doing all the scanning
2. Securing permission from copyright holders who contributed to the documents

And one minor challenge: Putting the documents up on the web in a reasonably organized and pleasing way.

Scanning

This section should hold advice on scanning and document formatting.

Copyright

Most people who have contributed to MNstf publications probably did not intend to hold copyright on their contributions. However, some certainly did and we need to be careful about this. The Minnstf board in 2008 came up with clear guidelines on how to handle copyright for Mnstf (including Minicon) publications:

• Images credited to an artist require us to ask the artist for permission to republish (including web posting)
• Text credited to someone, ditto.
• Anything not credited is assumed to be property of Minn-stf. We will, in general, put this up on the web with some sort of permissive license.

In decreasing order of preference, we'd like copyright holders to:

1. Grant Minn-stf all rights to their works. This is best because then the work is Mnstf's and we can do whatever we want with it.
2. Grant Minn-stf the right to make their works available via some sort of permissive license, such as those from Creative Commons. In this case, we need to know which sorts of restrictions the copyright holder is interested in, such as:
   • Requiring that the work cannot be used commercially
   • Requiring that the work cannot be modified
   • Requiring that attribution always be given when the work is shown
3. Grant Minn-stf the right to display their works on the web while retaining full copyright restrictions.

And, orthogonally to that:

1. Grant these rights to all of their works, past and future
2. Grant these rights to all of their currently existing works
3. Grant these rights to the one work that we just digitized

When contacting copyright holders, the ideal thing is to give them all of these options and see what the best we can get is. However, use your judgment. It's, for instance, not always a good idea to send someone a really long e-mail with lots of complicated copyright questions in it. We'd much rather get granted just web-publishing rights on a single document than never get a reply at all.

Copyright answers

List copyright holders' responses in alphabetical order by last name. Check this list before sending any queries about the document you are working on. Notes:

1. Some people here may not actually have any of their works in any Mnstf publications, but have given us blanket permission just in case.
2. Please distinguish between the case of a copyright holder answering a question (e.g. "can we distribute your stuff under a Creative Commons license?") with "no" and the case where they did not answer the question at all (possibly because they weren't asked).
3. If relevant, give the approximate date that the person made their statement. It is not generally safe to assume that they apply to future works unless that was stated.

• Jennifer "Seven" Anderson: Grants us all rights for submitted works past and future.
• Karen Cooper (late 2008): Ok with web posting. No answer about CC licensing.
• DDB (late 2008): Ok with web posting. Answer pending about CC licensing.
• Ken Fletcher (late 2008): Ok with web posting. Answer pending about CC licensing.
• Deb Geisler (late 2008): Any Creative Commons license is ok, "no worries".
• Jeanne Gomoll (Wiscon 2009): Ok to web post art in M14 book.
• Kathy (Marschall) Grantham (13 May 2009): "fine to post any old Minicon programs with my art".
• Carol Kennedy (late 2008): Grants us all rights.
• Greg Ketter (late 2008): Grants us all rights.
• James Kuehl (late 2008): Ok with web posting. No answer about CC licensing.
• Jason Malgren (late 2008): Grants us all rights.
• Sue Mason (late 2008): For the Minicon 38 chapbook, Creative Commons is fine, as long as people aren't using her work for profit.
• Laramie Sasseville (late 2008): Ok with web posting, ok with CC license. Would appreciate a link to dreamspell.net.
• Matthew Strait: Grants us all rights for submitted works past and future.
• Geri Sullivan (late 2008): Ok with web posting, ok with CC license.

Web posting

To get a document on the web, you have to be some sort of Mnstf webmaster. Currently:

• Matt and Dorf can edit the Minicon 42, 43, 44 and 45 pages.
• Kevin and Laurel have super powers and can edit any Minnstf page.

Work reserved

Note here what you intend to work on. This prevents duplication of effort.

• [your text here]

Work completed

Say whether (1) the document is digitized (2) the document has cleared copyright hurdles and can be put on the web (3) the document is actually up on the web now.

Rune

None so far.

Minicon program books

• The Minicon 4 program book is digitized and ready to be posted on the web.
• The Minicon 5 program book is digitized and ready to be posted on the web.
• The Minicon 14 program book is digitized and ready to be posted on the web.
• The Minicon 39 program book is digitized, but held up by copyright.
• The Minicon 40 program book is digitized, but held up by copyright.
• The Minicon 41 program book is digitized, but held up by copyright.
• The Minicon 42 program book is digitized, but held up by copyright. It is on the web as text-only only.
• The Minicon 43 program book, with the exception of Wayne Barlowe's art, is available at mnstf.org/minicon43/programbook/

Minicon pocket programs

• The Minicon 38 pocket program is digitized, but has art that needs a copyright query.
• The Minicon 39 pocket program is digitized and ready to be posted on the web.
• The Minicon 43 pocket program, without Wayne Barlowe's art, is available at mnstf.org/minicon43/programbook/

Minicon progress reports

• The Minicon 31 PR1 and PR2 are on the web, although only in text format and not as mailed.
• Five issues of Minicon 32's Minicon Monthly, which I guess filled the PR niche, are on the web. They imply the existence of at least one more issue which is not on the web.
• The Minicon 43 PR1 is on the web, PR2 is not.

Bozo Bus Tribune (Minicon at-con newsletter)

• All 4 issues of the Minicon 43 Bozo Bus Tribune are available at mnstf.org/minicon43/programbook/.
• All 4 issues of the Medallion Hunt Bulletin (with Bozo Bug Tribune) are available at mnstf.org/minicon44/pubs

Minicon chapbooks, etc.

• The Minicon 38 Sue Mason chapbook is on the web.
• The Minicon 39 Deb Geisler chapbook is on the web.