Take-Down Policy
W&M Digital Archive and W&M ScholarWorks collections are accessible for purposes of education and research. Materials previously deposited into the W&M Digital Archive may be removed or restricted at the request of the creator(s), contributor(s), or other individuals holding rights to the material. Upon request, we will remove material from public view while we address a rights issue.
Disclaimer
The William & Mary makes digital versions of collections accessible in the following situations:
- They are in the public domain
- The rights are owned by William & Mary
- William & Mary has permission to make them accessible
- We make them accessible for education and research purposes as a legal fair use, or
- There are no known restrictions on use.
We have made the best effort to adhere to all known copyright and rights of privacy, publicity, or trademark of material, but due to the nature of archival collections we are not always able to identify this information. We are eager to hear from any rights owners, so that we may obtain accurate information.
To learn more about what your responsibilities are in relation to copyright and using material, visit our guide on copyright and author's rights. We also have a guide with specific information on the types of copyright available for theses and dissertations.
Removal or Restriction of Items
Requests for removal should be directed to the W&M Digital Archive administrator or W&M ScholarWorks administrator the and should include the name and URL of the item or items to be removed, the reason for removal, and explanation of any claims to rights for the material. The Director of Special Collections will then be notified and, in consultation with the Special Collections staff and other appropriate members of the campus community, will review the request for just cause. Upon determination of just cause, the item or items in question will be removed from public view within the W&M Digital Archive until the request is resolved.
The final outcome of the review of a request to remove items from the W&M Digital Archive or W&M ScholarWorks may be one of the following:
- The item is not changed and is returned to public view.
- The item is not changed, but access is restricted for a period of time.
- The item is permanently removed from the W&M Digital Archive.
- Or another outcome.
Honors Theses Exception
Take-down requests are not honored for legacy honors theses submitted to the W&M Digital Archive (prior to spring 2014) or new honors thesis submissions to W&M ScholarWorks. Before submitting honors theses, authors must agree to a non-exclusive distribution license agreement which grants William & Mary the "non-exclusive right to reproduce, and distribute your submission (including the abstract) to the public as well as the right to migrate or convert your submission, without alteration of content, to any medium or format for the purpose of preservation or continued distribution." Authors are given the ability to embargo honors theses upon submission for a specified time period not to exceed 5 years. Embargoes requested after submission will not be honored. As is policy of W&M Special Collections and Archives and pursuant to state agency records retention schedule GS 111 101085 which governs the retention of student theses and dissertations, honors theses produced in partial fulfillment of a degree from W&M are considered permanent college record and are therefore, barring an established term-limited embargo upon submission to the W&M Digital Archive or W&M ScholarWorks, considered permanent public record.
Review of materials deposited
Materials deposited in the W&M Digital Archive or W&M ScholarWorks are subject to review of the W&M Digital Archive administrators and W&M ScholarWorks administrators for format, content relevance, and adherence to established collection policies. After initial deposit of materials to the W&M Digital Archive or W&M ScholarWorks, materials may be reviewed and may be subject to relocation within the W&M Digital Archive or W&M ScholarWorks based on usage statistics, available storage space, or other factors.
For more information, please contact the W&M Digital Archive administrator or W&M ScholarWorks administrator.