Project Objectives

The Public Domain Day Project is a collaborative project between The Ohio State University Libraries, the School of Music, the Wexner Center for the Arts, and other units across the University, planned to coincide with Public Domain Day. With this project we hope to bring attention to works whose term of copyright protection has expired and contribute new works to the public domain. Contribution to this project will help to support future learning, scholarship and creative endeavors from members of the The Ohio State University community and beyond.

Project Partners

  • Copyright Services: The Ohio State University Libraries’ Copyright Services supports Ohio State faculty, staff, and students by providing education and appropriate application of copyright law to help advance transformative teaching, effective learning, innovative research and creative expression. Services include workshops, customized presentations, consultations and referral to resources.
  • Music & Dance Library: The Ohio State University Music & Dance Library supports and strengthens music and dance performance, teaching, learning, and research by providing comprehensive digital and print collections, together with a professional staff to facilitate their use. The library’s collection includes music scores and parts, books and periodicals on music and dance, and sound and video recordings; our online collection includes music and dance research databases, and streaming audio and video recordings.
  • School of Music: The Ohio State University School of Music educates students for professional careers in composition, performance, scholarship and teaching.  As an integral part of a major public university with a strong commitment to teaching, research and service, the school recognizes the relationship that binds music to other academic and artistic disciplines. The Ohio State University School of Music is a significant and essential partner in making this project a success. School Director William Ballenger has been an enthusiastic supporter and promoter, and several faculty members are engaged in performing and encouraging awareness of musical works now entering the public domain for the first time.
  • The Wexner Center for the Arts: The Wexner Center for the Arts is The Ohio State University’s multidisciplinary, international laboratory for the exploration and advancement of contemporary art. Through exhibitions, screenings, performances, artist residencies and education programs, the Wexner Center acts as a forum where established and emerging artists can test ideas and where diverse audiences can participate in cultural experiences that enhance the understanding of the art of our time. In its programs, the Wexner Center balances a commitment to experimentation with a commitment to traditions of innovation and affirms the university’s mission of education, research and community service.

Process Overview

The Public Domain Day Project at The Ohio State University began in 2019 with two units at The Ohio State University Libraries, Copyright Services and the Music & Dance Library, collaborating to identify, locate, digitize and promote the performance of musical works from 1923 in celebration of their new public domain status.

For this project, we first identified musical compositions within the University Libraries’ collection that were published in the U.S. in 1923. We manually checked for inclusion of a valid copyright notice, a formality that was required at the time for federal copyright protection. Using The Catalog of Copyright Entries, we compiled copyright registration and renewal information for selected works. We used this information to determine, to the best of our abilities, which works remained protected by copyright until January 1, 2019. The same review process was used for select compositions not currently held within the University Libraries’ collections. In some cases, additional review and analysis was provided for publications made outside the U.S. in 1923, based on special considerations under U.S. copyright law for those works.

This same process has been followed as we explore, share and promote new works entering the public domain for later years.