What is the WorldCat® Copyright Evidence Registry?

The WorldCat Copyright Evidence Registry (CER) is a community of people, libraries, and other organizations working together to discover and share information about the copyright status of books.

The Copyright Evidence Registry is based on WorldCat, which contains more than 100 million bibliographic records describing items held in thousands of libraries worldwide. In addition to the WorldCat metadata, the Copyright Evidence Registry uses data contributed by libraries and other organizations.

You can search the Copyright Evidence Registry to find information about a book, learn what others have said about its copyright status, and share what you know.

If your library or organization is a Copyright Evidence Registry subscriber, you can run automated copyright rules that you create in the Copyright Evidence Registry to conform to your standards for determining copyright status. The rules help you analyze the information available in the Copyright Evidence Registry and form your own conclusions about copyright status.

Also, you can receive an e-mail notification when information about a book changes within the Copyright Evidence Registry.

The Copyright Evidence Registry is provided by OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc.

How will the Copyright Evidence Registry help me?

The Copyright Evidence Registry uses cooperation to help reduce the time and cost of copyright status investigations. It lets you and others in the Copyright Evidence Registry community share your evidence and work results and build consensus about best practices. Through cooperation, the community can address orphan works and other critical copyright issues more efficiently and effectively.

Will the Copyright Evidence Registry tell me the copyright status of a book?

No. The Copyright Evidence Registry does not provide conclusions or assertions about the copyright status of a book. Instead, it provides the information, tools, and community to help you conduct your copyright status investigation and form your own conclusions. It also lets you and others in the community share your conclusions.

Who can participate in the Copyright Evidence Registry?

Librarians, information professionals, and anyone interested in the copyright status of books can participate in the Copyright Evidence Registry.

What is the status of the Copyright Evidence Registry?

The one year pilot of the Copyright Evidence Registry began in July 2008. The pilot will help OCLC determine the feasibility and future direction of the Copyright Evidence Registry.

The pilot focuses on copyright information for books.

What are the levels of participation in the Copyright Evidence Registry?

The Copyright Evidence Registry has four levels of participation:

• Public Access. You can search the Copyright Evidence Registry, view its bibliographic information, and view other information related to the copyright status of a book even if you do not sign in. However, you cannot contribute information.
• WorldCat Account. If you have, or create, a free, WorldCat account, your WorldCat user name lets you sign in, search the Copyright Evidence Registry, and contribute (as an individual) information which relates to the copyright status of a book. To create a WorldCat account, click the Create a free WorldCat account link in the Copyright Evidence Registry or in WorldCat.
• Connexion®. If your library is an OCLC Cataloging user, your Connexion authorization lets you sign in, search the Copyright Evidence Registry, and contribute (on behalf of your library) information which relates to the copyright status of a book.
• Copyright Evidence Registry Subscription. If your library or organization subscribes to the Copyright Evidence Registry, your Copyright Evidence Registry authorization lets you run automated copyright rules that you create in the Copyright Evidence Registry to conform to your standards for determining copyright status. The rules help you analyze the information available in the Copyright Evidence Registry and form your own conclusions about copyright status. Of course, you can also sign in, search the Copyright Evidence Registry, and contribute (on behalf of your library or organization) information which relates to the copyright status of a book.

May I participate in the Copyright Evidence Registry pilot?

Yes. You are welcome to participate in the pilot at the Public Access, WorldCat Account, or Connexion levels. You may begin to participate at any time. You do not need to contact us. If you need assistance, please use the Feedback link.

The number of pilot participants at the Copyright Evidence Registry Subscription level is limited. Please contact us via Feedback if you are interested in participating at that level.