Policies and Standards
For the Digital Commons Content Policies, please click here.
Equity Statement for Archival and Special Collections
Library Services at Pittsburg State University is committed to addressing biased or racist language and the erasure of marginalized individuals and communities in the archival and bibliographic description or exhibition of our collections. We try to describe library materials and their creators respectfully, accurately, and with understanding for the communities who use or are represented in the materials. We acknowledge the need for the critical examination of descriptive and bibliographic practices, and that to identify, correct, or contextualize problematic language and expressions is an ongoing and iterative process universal to all libraries and archives.
We recognize that language and cultural expressions evolve. We further recognize archival materials held and exhibited by the Leonard H. Axe Library may contain historic language and images that are considered offensive and/or which marginalize various individuals and communities. Despite the discomfort or pain it might cause, it is important to retain and acknowledge the original biases and societal imbalances inherent in our archival materials. Archival in this context refers to archival collections and rare or unique materials found in a variety of formats, including analog prints, personal papers, photographs, audiovisual recordings, three dimensional objects, and digital materials – both digitized and born-digital.
Application for Permission to Publish, Quote, Broadcast, or Exhibit Items from the Special Collections & University Archives
Information and reproductions are provided for reference use only. Permission to publish, exhibit or broadcast must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, Leonard H. Axe Library, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS 66762. Please reach out to digitalcommons@pittstate.edu to receive and send an application form. Please see the Special Collections & University Archives web page here for all policies.
Takedown Policy
Notice to users: These materials are made available for educational and scholarly use. Leonard H. Axe Library at Pittsburg State University makes effort to ensure that it has appropriate rights to provide access to content through the Digital Commons repository.
If you are a rights holder and are concerned that you have found material on Pittsburg State University’s Digital Commons@Pitt State repository without your permission and believe our inclusion of this material in the repository violates your rights (e.g. inclusion is not covered by the Fair Use or other exemption to a copyright holder’s rights), please contact digitalcommons@pittstate.edu and include the following:
- Your contact information (email and phone number),
- Exact URL where you found the material,
- Details that describe the material (title, collection name, number of items, etc.),
- The reason why you believe that your rights have been violated, with any pertinent documentation,
- A statement that you in good faith believe that the use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law, and
- A statement that the information in your notification is accurate and that you are the rights holder or are authorized to act on behalf of the owner.
Upon receipt of a request, library staff will:
- Promptly acknowledge the request via email or other means of communication if you do not have an email account;
- Assess the validity of the request;
- Upon request, we may temporarily remove the material from public view while we assess the concern;
- Upon completion of the assessment, we will take appropriate action and communicate that action to you.
More information about the takedown policy for Digital Commons@Pitt State can be found here. Further information on library policies, standards, and guidelines can be found on the Leonard H. Axe Library website. Also see the Campus Internet Copyright Policy.
