Access

Access the CNA collection

The CNA champions the principle of free access to collections and collection information, and strives to make as much as possible of its archive holdings accessible to its clients.

CNA archive content is made accessible to users in many venues. Its availability in public conferences, exhibitions and exhibition catalogues, through screenings in cinemas and other venues, and its distribution on television, websites, vod platforms and various social networks allow the CNA to reach previously overlooked audiences. Collaboration with students and academics raises their awareness of the significance of the audiovisual and photographic archives as historical and sociological sources. CNA’s digitization effort is primarily driven by its desire to greatly increase access to users and this effort has gradually built an impressive digital collection.

CNA’s clients can be broadly categorized into four groups:

Media professionals

Examples of people in this group include people who work in radio and television broadcasting; the professional music production industry; for motion picture production companies (cinema) and the press. Other media professionals produce content for publishing outlets (e.g. newspapers, blogs, themed online channels, etc.). Users such as these include program and recording producers, editors, web content developers and marketing producers (e.g. promotional advertising).

Researchers and educators

These clients include private individuals who are carrying out scientific research, or work as professionals in educational institutions of every level, from elementary school through university. These academic users are either undertaking private research or are looking to use/incorporate content in an educational setting. Sometimes they use content in productions that are, generally, non-commercial in nature. This community also includes content aggregators who collect metadata about archive content/and or the content itself from archives in order to make it available via a shared platform they operate as a service.

Non-Profit Organizations

These institutions include a range of organizational types: national and international institutions that work with historical cultural heritage, as well as cultural associations (e.g. Friends of Music), museums, galleries, historical societies, political parties but also sport clubs, foundations, NGO’s etc. They use CNA content (digital as well as physical objects) in exhibitions, publications, conferences etc. as well as in productions such as commemorative videos.

General public

The public is exposed to CNA content in a number of ways: online, in exhibitions, in publications, in workshops, via social media or mainstream media and through the creation of CNA productions. When requesting access to archive content, it is in general for personal use or simply in order to learn more about a particular subject.

Access Services

Access to the audio, moving images and photographic collections can be provided only with the help of CNA staff on the basis of precise requests made via the form provided for this purpose.

Once potential archive content is located by CNA research staff, it is made available to professional researchers (academia, professional productions) in the form of low-resolution access copies. The CNA never provides master files to researchers until the institution knows the purpose of consultation and re-use, and a contract has been signed. Once signed, high resolution copies are made available.

Loans are an important tool used to broaden access to as wide a public as possible. Temporary exhibitions regularly include works from CNA collections and are developed in collaboration with experts from different fields (e.g. curators, publishers, lecturers, conservationists, academia, writers, national and international institutions, museums and associations).

Content Re-Use

The re-use of archive material in new productions enables the broader dissemination of and awareness about CNA collections. Sales to national and international professionals is one of the most efficient ways archival footage, sound and photographic content is made available. Such content enriches new documentaries, feature films, tv shows, exhibitions, books, CDs etc. and offer artists the opportunity to work with it in creative ways.

CNA content is made available for re-use in different contexts.

Commercial purposes

CNA defines a commercial purpose as primarily intended for or directed towards commercial advantage or monetary compensation (public television and radio stations are included in commercial purpose insofar as they broadcast to non-Luxembourgish territories). Reuse for commercial purposes is subject to the payment of a fee depending on the use and scope of each project. The fees are defined in CNA’s official price list and depend on the quantity of footage or documents involved.

Noncommercial purposes

The CNA strives to allow reuse free of charge for non-commercial usage. However, if copyrighted material is involved, the user will have to pay a fee as defined in CNA’s official price list or as negotiated by the CNA with the right holders. All clients who receive archive content for reuse sign a license agreement detailing time limits, geographical restrictions, etc.

Last update 28.07.2021