Due to scheduled maintenance, the National Library’s online services will be unavailable between 8pm on Saturday 7 December and 11am on Sunday 8 December (AEDT). Find out more.
The National Library endorses these position statements on copyright, issued by National & State Libraries Australasia (NSLA).
- Position statement: Copyright
NSLA's position on copyright exceptions and limitations, including Crown copyright, duration of copyright, fair dealing and orphan works (Published February 2019; updated March 2023). - Position statement: Reasonably diligent search for orphan works
Principles and standards of a reasonable search by a library to identify the copyright owner before using an orphan work (Published December 2010; revised May 2023). - Procedural guidelines: Reasonable search for orphan works
Guidelines for NSLA libraries for dealing with works where the copyright owner is unknown (Published January 2010; updated May 2023). - Position statement: Public domain works
NSLA supports the principle that public domain works should be publicly accessible and available for re-use (Published April 2012; updated June 2019). - Position statement: Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP)
Policy framework and principles for Indigenous content held in NSLA library collections (Published April 2021; reviewed May 2023).