Library to impose photo fee

By Kevin Jones
Diversity Institute Fellow

07.27.02

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The Nashville Public Library Board of Trustees decided Tuesday to charge a flat rate for use of pictures from a historical collection obtained from the now-defunct Nashville Banner newspaper.

But exactly what the fee will be and when it will be imposed has yet to be determined.

The pictures became a part of library holdings when the 122-year-old newspaper went out of business four years ago. The collection includes more than 20,000 printed photos and more than a million negatives.

Pictures were formerly made available for commercial use at no charge and could only be used in special circumstances, such as a publication or video. Businesses or organizations could fill out a form to request a picture, and then they would receive a copy.

Under the new proposal, businesses would have to pay a usage fee based on the type of publication, the picture’s size and how many times the picture will be used in the publications or videos.

This policy change is part of the library’s “Pursuit of Excellence” plan, an initiative that aims at making the downtown library a premier institution, Library Director Donna Nicely said.

The library wants to "strike a balance of collecting popular materials and building a finer collection," she said. Money collected from the fees will go back into the library’s general fund.

Board Chairwoman Margaret Ann Robinson said she is pleased with the progress that the downtown library is making.

In other action, the board also:

• Announced plans to lease space inside the library to a privately owned café to be known as Provence. Terry Carr-Hall, the owner, said the restaurant plans to serve sandwiches, salads and other items. The official opening is slated for Aug. 2.
• Began studying proposals for possible library projects in communities such as Bellevue. These proposals are in the planning stages, but concerns about funding such plans have already surfaced.

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