Studio Usage and Digitization Policy
The Blue Ridge Community College Baltiero Brothers Recording Studio is located on the Henderson Campus in the Killian Building. It houses the majority of our recording and digitization equipment. Library staff are available to assist students and community members with their digitization requests. Use of the studio and its equipment is open to students and community members based on appointment availability and adherence to the following usage guidelines. This policy is in place to ensure that digital content or digital copies made using the Blue Ridge Community College Baltiero Brothers Recording Studio and its equipment comply with the expectations set forth by the Blue Ridge Community College Library and College as a whole. The Library, The Office of Instruction, and other College Departments do not always directly monitor studio usage. However, should the Library or College become aware of any issues, it reserves the right to remove the digital file(s) that violate any Library and/or College policies and procedures and restrict future usage of its equipment.
Users can request digitization services via an appointment by clicking the “Make a Research Appointment” button on the Archive website’s homepage or by contacting the archivist directly (r_quinn150@blueridge.edu) to reserve a time slot. Users also can request instruction on how to use the equipment during their appointment.
Flatbed Scanners
We have two flatbed scanners (Epson Perfection V850 Pro and Plustek OpticPro A320E A3 CCD Flatbed). These high resolution scanners work best with flat objects such as photographs, documents, magazines, newspaper clippings, drawings/sketches, etc. These scanners are not to be used with textiles, three dimensional objects, or books.
Recording Software
The Baltiero Brothers Recording Studio currently uses Reaper software for recording oral history interviews. The use of our recording equipment is not restricted to oral histories. This software can be used for other types of recordings such as podcasts, jam sessions, interviews for class assignments, etc. For more information about using the studio’s equipment for podcast production, please reference the Blue Ridge Community College Library Podcast Creation Policy.
ScanSnap
The Fujitsu ScanSnap SV600 Overhead is a contactless overhead scanner used for bound documents and textured artwork. At this time, it is only available for staff use. Students and community researchers who wish to scan approved materials or records using the ScanSnap must make an appointment with the archivist. Digital files will be emailed to students or community researchers.
Audiovisual Conversion
The Baltiero Brothers Recording Studio currently has a variety of audiovisual equipment compatible with VHS, film reel, and DVD/CD formats along with the ability to convert to a digital format. We are currently working to expand our equipment to include other format types, such as cassettes. At this time, it is only available for staff use. Students or community members wishing to digitize their personal audiovisual collections must make an appointment with the archivist.
Camcorder and DSLR Camera
Blue Ridge Community College Library owns a Nikon D3500 DSLR Camera and Canon XA40 Professional UHD 4K Camcorder for internal and community partnership uses. At this time, it is only available to students or community researchers for use within the library on the Henderson Campus and with staff supervision. Staff are able to take the equipment into the community for project partnerships. Requests to use the camcorder or DSLR camera must be made to the library director, and the library reserves the right to deny use of this equipment.
Approved Materials for Digitization
Students and community researchers are allowed to digitize any personal documents, photographs, artworks, recordings, or unpublished materials owned by themselves or approved by the owner for digitization. They also may digitize works that are in the public domain. Personalized notes or messages within a published work are approved for personal records digitization and may not be digitized for commercial use. Users are not allowed to use the studio to digitize any commercial or copyrighted products, such as old films, tv shows, music albums, and professional art prints.
Archival Material Reproduction/Digitization Requests
Access and use of the collections has to be considered within the context of the physical condition of the materials, United States copyright laws, and any donor restrictions on specific collections. High resolution digital copies can be made by the archivist using the archive studio equipment. Researchers wishing to create digital copies using a personal smartphone or digital camera must have the permission of library staff. These digital reproductions can only be used for private study, scholarship, or research. For use of archival materials in published work, please see Use Agreement for Reproductions for additional information or contact the archivist.
A researcher who is unable to visit The Blue Ridge Community College Archive and Special Collections in person may request reproduction services. Please contact the archivist for assistance. Please note that all reproduction will be governed by any and all reproduction restrictions of a specific collection (copyright law, donor restrictions, material fragility, etc). For researchers who are making reproduction requests, please be aware that The Blue Ridge Community College Library staff will make every effort to complete your request in a timely manner, but keep in mind that the turn-around time on a request will depend on the type of request, staff availability, and the number of existing requests being made.
Use of Personal Camera
Researchers are allowed to take personal photographs of unrestricted archival materials if the following conditions are met:
- Permission to take the photographs has been granted by the archivist or library director
- No flash or outside light used
- The records are not put in danger
- The photographs and/or digital copies will only be used for personal reference or research
- Duplication does not equal permission to use any photographs and/or digital copies in formal publications. A formal request must be made for inclusion of any photographs in a published work.
- The researcher accepts full responsibility of verifying the copyright status of any photographs or digital copies of documents.
- Photographs or digital copies will not be donated into another archival repository.
- The Blue Ridge Community College Archive reserves the right to reject the use of personal photography of its collections.
Copyright
U.S. Copyright Law governs the making and use of most photocopies and other reproductions of copyrighted materials. While the Archive may own a physical object, we do not necessarily own the copyright for the object. The majority of manuscript materials, sound recordings, photographs, and film created in the past 120 years are protected under Copyright Law. Transmission, reproduction, publication, or presentation of items generally requires the permission of the copyright owners. Unless a donor specifies at the time of donation, collections given to the archive are made open and available for personal or academic research. Researchers assume all responsibility for securing permission from the appropriate copyright holder if publication using digitized scans is planned. Blue Ridge Community College is not responsible. To learn more about U.S. Copyright law, researchers should contact the U.S. Copyright Office.
The majority of collections in Blue Ridge Community College Archive and Special Collections are made up of records from 1969 to the present day. Archival collections that contain 20th century and 21st century materials may include sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications for which Blue Ridge Community College assumes no responsibility.