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Usage Guidelines for Metadata

These usage guidelines are based on goodwill, they are not a legal contract but Europeana requests that you follow these guidelines if you use metadata from Europeana.

All metadata published by Europeana are available free of restriction under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. However, Europeana requests that you actively acknowledge and give attribution to all metadata sources, such as the data providers (being a specific cultural heritage institution) and any data aggregators, including Europeana.

Give credit where credit is due.

  • Give attribution to the data provider and all contributing data aggregators, including Europeana. Aggregators perform a crucial task in collecting, storing and harmonising data so that it is more widely accessible and interoperable.
  • Make sure that others are aware of the rights status of the Europeana metadata and are aware of these guidelines. One way you can do this is to keep links to the CC0 Public Domain Dedication intact.
  • If, for technical or other reasons, you cannot include all the appropriate source links and rights information alongside the metadata that you have used, you should consider including them separately, for example in a separate document that is distributed with the metadata or dataset.
  • If, for technical or other reasons, you cannot include all the appropriate source links and rights information alongside the metadata that you have used, you may consider linking only to the specific metadata source on Europeana, where all available sources and rights information can be found, including machine-readable formats.

Metadata is dynamic; consider using the metadata via the Europeana APIs or by linking.

  • When working with metadata obtained via Europeana,please be aware that it is not static but subject to change. Europeana continuously updates its metadata to correct mistakes and include new and additional information. Therefore, the best way touse metadata published by Europeana is via the Europeana API or by linking to the specific data. If, for technical or other reasons, you cannot do this,then provide a link back to the source of the data on Europeana or implement an update mechanism.

Mention your modifications of the metadata and make your modified metadata available under the same terms.

  • Please do not use the metadata in a way that suggests you have any official status or that the data provider, aggregator or Europeana endorses you or your use of the metadata, unless you have prior permission to do so.
  • Please do not mislead others or misrepresent the metadata or its sources.
  • Please make the metadata and any improvements thereto freely available under the same terms as Europeana, i.e., without claiming any legal right to, or imposing any legally binding conditions on access to the metadata or your improvements.

Please note that you use the metadata at your own risk.

  • Europeana offers the metadata as-is and makes no representations or warranties of any kind concerning any metadata published by Europeana.
  • Any use of the metadata must conform to all applicable laws and other regulations in your jurisdiction, notably concerning (but not limited to) data protection, defamation or copyright.
  • Be aware of any additional applicable community norms of data providers and data aggregators.

Thank you for your cooperation