Open Access Digital Theological Library: FAQ

FAQ

General

Who owns the OADTL?

The OADTL is owned and maintained by the staff of the Digital Theological Library, a non-profit corporation with the mission of supporting higher education in the study of religion.

How much content is found in the OADTL?

The OADTL currently provides access to over 190,000 ebooks and thousands of journals, and our collection is growing.

What do the terms open access and public domain mean?

Open access is the designation used to describe published research content which is distributed online and free of cost. Many open access titles are also available for sale in print form.

Public domain refers to content that is not copyrighted and may be used by anyone without the author’s permission. Most public domain content was published before 1923.

What is an institutional repository?

An institutional repository is a digital collection owned and maintained by an institution (often a university or scholarly association). Content in institutional repositories is often copyrighted, but can still be read and cited. Content in institutional repositories is generally not in the public domain and should not be reproduced without permission from the author.

Does the OADTL violate copyrights?

The OADTL does not knowingly violate copyright law. The OADTL links to thousands of providers. As far as we know, these content hosts are providing legal access to their content. We do not link to known providers of “pirated” content. If you believe that the OADTL is providing discoverability to some of your copyrighted content, please contact us. However please note that the OADTL does not host content; the OADTL only provides discoverability to content which is hosted on other websites. Therefore, we can only remove the link from the OADTL, we cannot remove the content from the host website.

Using the OADTL

Who can use the OADTL?

The OADTL is free and may be used by anyone.

Can I download or print content from the OADTL?

The terms of use for the content in the OADTL are established by the local host of the content. Most content providers allow downloads and printing.

Can I republish content found in the OADTL?

Generally, no. However, public domain content—generally content published before 1923—can be republished.

Can I redistribute content from the OADTL?

It is best to provide links to content in the OADTL rather than downloading and redistributing the content. However, the terms of use for the content in the OADTL are established by the local host of the content.

Supporting the OADTL

Can I add content to the OADTL?

The OADTL is a curated collection that routinely adds high quality content in theology, religious studies, and related disciplines. The OADTL does not add content from blogs, personal websites, or local faith communities. If you know of an important source of content, contact us to suggest a resource.

How can I help promote or develop the OADTL?

The OADTL is owned by a registered non-profit corporation and donations are tax deductible. Volunteers can help curate collections. Contact us to request information about donating or volunteering.