BECOME A PARTNER

The ECCO-Text Creation Partnership is working with Gale to enhance the ECCO image product by creating and offering accurately keyed, tagged, and searchable texts that link directly to corresponding ECCO page images. The project, however, is not a Gale "product" nor sold directly by Gale. To join Text Creation Partnership, and become a co-owner of the ECCO-TCP text file, a library must first have access to the ECCO images through Gale, and then contract for partner status through the University of Michigan University Library. ECCO-TCP Partner libraries are co-owners of the textfile that includes thousands of accurately keyboarded and SGML/XML encoded texts selected from the larger ECCO corpus. As a co-owner, a Partner library has the right to locally load and manage the file, integrate it with other resources, and convey to its authenticated users the right to reuse the files in their entirety for research and instructional purposes. After a contractually agreed upon date, the rights of partnership also permits Partner libraries to distribute the text file beyond its campus community to support other constituencies to whom the Partner seeks to provide service (e.g., alumni, high school students, state residents, or the world at large). It is the intention of the ECCO-TCP structure to create a standards-based resource of enduring value to which the library community can claim full rights of ownership, and maintain broader community access under the doctrine of "public domain."