DigitalCommons@Linfield Policies

Potential contributors to DigitalCommons@Linfield are encouraged to contact the DigitalCommons Coordinator. Content submitted to DigitalCommons@Linfield must meet the requirements for eligible content. All contributors are required to complete a submission agreement in writing for the submitted content. Contact the DigitalCommons Coordinator upon submission inquiries for submission agreement requirements.

DigitalCommons@Linfield has been established as a permanent repository. Once deposited, an item will not be withdrawn from the repository, although under some circumstances it may be removed from public view.

Withdrawal Request Requirements

• Authors or affected parties may request that works be removed from public view in DigitalCommons@Linfield for reasons of factual inaccuracy, plagiarism, or potential copyright infringement.
• Any requests for withdrawal must be sent to the DigitalCommons Coordinator. Requests must state the reason for the withdrawal request and, in the case of potential copyright infringement, must include the following:
  • A physical or electronic signature of the owner, or authorized agent of the owner, of an exclusive right that has allegedly been infringed;
  • Clear identification of the copyrighted work(s) claimed to have been infringed;
  • Clear identification of the material in DigitalCommons@Linfield that is claimed to be infringing, including the URL(s);
  • Reasonably sufficient contact information to allow the Linfield Libraries to contact the complaining party (a mailing address, telephone number, and, if available, an active email address);
  • A statement that the complaining party has a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law;
  • A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and, if applicable, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
• No materials will be removed without an attempt to reach the author.
• The Linfield Libraries will respond to all questions or requests for withdrawal within a reasonable amount of time, preferably within three business days. If the Libraries are not able to determine the use of the work in question is lawful, access to the work through DigitalCommons@Linfield will be removed.
• If authors who have submitted work to DigitalCommons@Linfield leave the institution, their work will be retained in the archive. If the authors would like to have new contact information added to their material in DigitalCommons@Linfield, the DigitalCommons Coordinator will assist them in having such information added.
• If a work is withdrawn, a citation including original metadata will always remain, but the work will be noted as withdrawn. Sample statements might include “removed at request of author” or “removed by legal order.”

Defamation

The Linfield Libraries fully support the intellectual and academic freedom of the faculty, staff, and students within the Linfield University community. However, the Libraries also recognize that those freedoms may only be exercised to the extent they do not become unlawful. As such, contributors to DigitalCommons@Linfield should refrain from statements that would be considered defamatory in a court of law.

The Linfield Libraries does not review content submitted to DigitalCommons@Linfield for the inclusion of potentially defamatory material. However, if material of a defamatory nature comes to the attention of the Libraries, such material may be redacted or removed from public view. In such cases, the DigitalCommons Coordinator will make a reasonable attempt to contact the author before proceeding with redaction or removal.

Any individual who believes that content in DigitalCommons@Linfield may be defamatory of them or others should inform the DigitalCommons Coordinator. Claims about defamatory content must include:

• A physical or electronic signature of the individual claiming defamation (of self or others);
• Clear identification of the material in DigitalCommons@Linfield that is believed to contain defamatory statements, including the URL(s);
• A clear description of the defamatory statements, as well as the rationale for the defamation claim;
• Reasonably sufficient contact information to allow the Linfield Libraries to contact the complaining party (a mailing address, telephone number, and, if available, an active email address).

Upon receipt of a defamation claim, the DigitalCommons Coordinator will temporarily disable access to the content in question and will consult with Linfield University’s legal counsel regarding the merits of the claim. Content determined not to be defamatory will have access restored.

In consultation with legal counsel, the Linfield Libraries may also remove potentially defamatory content which comes to light independently of this claims procedure.

The repository is intended to be a permanent scholarly record. Authors may request that updated content be posted. Posting updated versions along with the original material is the preferred way to show the progress of research. There are two options for updating content.

Option 1: Retain the original record and display earlier versions in the Previous Versions section of the metadata page.
In this option, the existing content is replaced by updated content, the publication date is revised, and the previous content is set to display in the Previous Versions section of the metadata record. Previous versions should be labeled as such and should specify the number of the version (if applicable) and the date.

Option 2: Revise the original record to indicate the version has been superseded and link to the new entry for the updated version.
In this option, a new entry is made for the updated version. An edition statement or other relevant info in the title must be included to make it clear for the user which edition they've found. Additionally, the description field must include a short summary (provided by the author) of changes made since the previous version. The metadata in the original record is updated to indicate the version has been superseded, and a link is included in the description field to direct people to the updated version.

Requests for updating content must be sent to the DigitalCommons Coordinator.

• Copyright Guidelines for Authors
• Copyright Guidelines for Student Authors
• Senior Thesis Submission Form

This policy is reviewed at least every 3 years by the DigitalCommons Coordinator and the Library Director, in consultation as needed with General Counsel for Linfield University.

Version 3.1 (current) prepared by Kathleen Spring (DigitalCommons Coordinator), July 1, 2020.

Version 3.0 prepared by Kathleen Spring (DigitalCommons Coordinator), April 30, 2019.

Version 2.0 prepared by Kathleen Spring (DigitalCommons Coordinator) and John McKeegan (Advisor to President & General Counsel), October 15, 2012.

Version 1.0 prepared by Susan Barnes Whyte (Library Director) and Carol McCulley (DigitalCommons Coordinator), April 23, 2010. Approved by the DigitalCommons Steering Committee, May 10, 2010.