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Hi everyone, I am incredibly grateful for all of the responses I received to my patron request fee query. Quite a few people requested I share what I gathered and learned, and I am happy to do so. Twenty-two (22) institutions responded, sharing their pricing tiers and logic for both image reproduction and publication requests. There seems to be great variety in the logic, but in general, most determine fees based on one or more of the following criteria: * No charge regardless * Flat rate regardless * Material Size (i.e. 8"x10" or smaller one price and larger items a slightly higher price.) * Material Type (Photograph vs Manuscripts/Documents vs A/V) * Equipment used (i.e. Flatbed Scanner vs Camera) * Previously digitized vs needing digitization * Staff time needed to complete the request (i.e. hourly rate) * Institution affiliation (i.e. Faculty, Staff, Student, Alumni vs unaffiliated) * Copyright (Charging if they own copyright and not charging in cases of public domain, orphaned works, or copyright being owned by someone else.) * Distribution (i.e. print run) * Nonprofit vs Commercial use Several institutions cited cost-recovery as their main intent on charging fees. At least 3 institutions mentioned settling on their fee structure based on an average of what other institutions are charging (after conducting informal research, such as this). I am happy to report, those institutions concluded the same average as I have based on these responses. In attempt to directly compare pricing, despite the variety in fee structures, I recorded the price for digitizing one still image from each institution (including all tiers such as affiliated vs non-affiliated pricing), and the cost of publishing one still image (again including all tiers such as non-profit vs commercial). I then recalled my high school math days, and calculated the average (mean) price, median price, and most common price (mode). The results are as follows: * For digitizing one still image, the average price is $14.84 per scan. Responses ranged from $0.00 to $50.00, with the median price being $10.00 per scan, and the most common amount $20.00 per scan. * For publishing one still image, the average price is $35.71. Responses ranged from $0.00 to $200.00, with the median price being $25.00, and the most common amount being $0.00. Overwhelming, people responded that they were not in this for the money, and simply want their materials to be valued, used, and credited. Multiple people mentioned a willingness to reduce or waive fees altogether, and a common practice of not charging donors for copies from their own collections. One institution stated their $50 per image publication charge was intentionally set to reduce the number of requests. "After being inundated with reproduction requests for [EVENT], I decided that I needed to stem the flow...Overall, the fee structure has worked, especially in reducing the number of requests for digital reproductions. It has also given me a steady flow of money that I can use to buy supplies..." I apologize for the lengthy email, but so many asked that I share back to the listserv. If anyone is interested in doing a more formal survey, please let me know. This is seems to be a timely and intriguing topic. My thanks to all! Elizabeth Elizabeth La Beaud Digital Lab Manager, Southern Miss Assistant Director, Mississippi Digital Library The University of Southern Mississippi McCain Library & Archives 118 College Drive #5148 Hattiesburg, MS 39406-5148 [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> 601.266.5606 From: Elizabeth La Beaud Sent: Friday, December 14, 2018 10:03 AM To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>; [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>; [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>; [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>; [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>; [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Patron Request Fees Hi everyone, We are interested in how other institutions charge or don't charge for digital reproductions and/or publication permissions. Under what circumstances do you charge, how much, do you have different fees depending on the usage or patron type, etc. Any information would be greatly appreciated as well as the logic behind the decisions! Feel free to respond off list. Many thanks and Happy Friday!! Elizabeth Elizabeth La Beaud Digital Lab Manager, Southern Miss Assistant Director, Mississippi Digital Library The University of Southern Mississippi McCain Library & Archives 118 College Drive #5148 Hattiesburg, MS 39406-5148 [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> 601.266.5606 ######################################################################## to manage your DLF-ANNOUNCE subscription, visit diglib.org/announce