Digital collections don’t have to be fully open or fully restricted. Explore how flexible access models can help libraries and archives responsibly bring more material online.

When libraries, archives, and cultural heritage organizations consider putting collections online, the decision is rarely straightforward. Some materials are well suited to open access.

Others carry legal, cultural, privacy, funding or donor-related considerations that require more careful handling. Many fall somewhere in between. As a result, digital collections often don’t sit at either extreme of “fully open” or “completely restricted.”

The question is not simply whether a collection should be open. It is how access can be designed to make more collections available online — responsibly, sustainably, and in ways that reflect both the nature of the material and the communities connected to it.

The spectrum of access models

Institutions use a range of approaches to shape how material is accessed.

Common models include:

• Tiered content access: some material openly accessible, with other content restricted.

• Institutional access: available within specific IP ranges, often for universities or libraries.

• Account-based access: login required for selected or sensitive material.

• Feature-level restriction: content open, but access to advanced features and tools is restricted.

• Paywall models: individual or institutional paid subscriptions required for access to some or all content.

• Hybrid models: a combination of the above models within the same collection.

The key is flexibility — designing access around the nature of the material, the needs of users, and the responsibilities of the institution.

Access models in action

The scenarios below help demonstrate how access can be structured using these models across a range of collection environments.

• Scenario 1: Intentional and accountable access for community-led archives

• Scenario 2: Rights-managed and licensed content

• Scenario 3: Extending access beyond physical reading rooms

• Scenario 4: Supporting advanced research environments
  
  

Scenario 1: Intentional and accountable access for community-led archives

This approach is particularly relevant for vulnerable or under-represented communities, where collections may include:

• Named individuals.

• Records of activism or protest participation.

• Photographs and personal narratives.

• Culturally sensitive or lived experience material.

Open publication can sometimes expose individuals or communities in ways that were never intended, or remove important context around how material should be interpreted.

In these cases, structured access — whether through account registration, institutional authentication, tiered permissions, or subscription models — can provide:

• An accountability layer.

• A traceable access environment.

• A measured barrier that discourages insensitive or inappropriate use.

Intentional access is often safer than unrestricted exposure.

At the same time, many community-led archives rely on independent journalism initiatives that operate with limited funding and volunteer effort. Carefully designed subscription or paywall models can serve not only as access controls, but also as community-supported sustainability mechanisms — helping ensure that this history is preserved, maintained, and accessible for future generations.

This approach aligns with archives such as the Star Observer, where long-term stewardship and responsible access are closely linked.

Scenario 2: Rights-managed and licensed content

Many collections contain a mix of public-domain and rights-protected material. This can include copyrighted works, licensed academic content, and third-party inserts such as photographs, advertisements, and letters — all of which require careful management.

As a result, access is rarely applied uniformly across an entire collection. Instead, it is often structured at a granular level, with some material openly accessible and other content restricted based on rights, licensing, or other usage conditions.

Access may be managed through a combination of:

• Institutional IP-based authentication.

• Account-based permissions.

• Subscription models.

• Tiered content access.

In these cases, access controls function primarily as governance tools — ensuring material is shared responsibly and in line with legal and contractual obligations.

Veridian Software supports this type of mixed-access approach, allowing libraries and archives to manage open and restricted material within the same collection environment.

For example, LLMC provides open access to approximately 4.5 million pages, while subscribers can access a further 80 million pages within the same platform. This type of model enables institutions to balance public access with rights management, sustainability, and long-term stewardship.

Scenario 3: Extending access beyond physical reading rooms

Some materials are traditionally only accessible within supervised reading rooms due to a range of considerations, including:

 Privacy: Some materials may contain personal information about identifiable individuals — such as letters, case records, or community archives — where open online access could expose people or their families in ways that were never intended.

Sensitivity: Materials may relate to topics such as health, discrimination, or activism, or lived experience. While historically important, they may require careful framing and intentional engagement rather than casual browsing.

Donor agreements: Some collections are donated with specific conditions attached — for example, that materials are only accessible in controlled environments, only to researchers, or only after a certain period of time.

The need for contextual support: In physical reading rooms, archivists often provide guidance to help researchers interpret materials appropriately. This is particularly important for culturally sensitive material, incomplete records, or items that could be misunderstood without background context.

While digitisation can make archives more accessible, it can also remove the intentional, supervised environment that comes with physical access.Thoughtfully structured online access controls can help bridge this gap

For example:

• Login-based access can support intentional engagement.

• Institutional authentication can limit access to recognised researchers.

• Tiered permissions can be used to reflect donor conditions.

• Hybrid models can allow remote access while preserving oversight.

In this context, access controls extend — rather than restrict — the reach of collections. They allow institutions to balance accessibility with care, context, and responsibility.

They also have the added benefit of supporting long-term preservation, by reducing the physical handling of original materials.

Scenario 4: Supporting advanced research environments

In some cases, the content itself remains publicly accessible, while access controls are used to enable advanced research tools such as large-scale analysis environments, bulk downloads, APIs, and structured datasets.

This approach is particularly relevant for collections supporting intensive research activity, where access controls help organizations:

• Manage system load and infrastructure demands.

• Ensure licensed or sensitive content is used appropriately.

• Provide researchers with accurate, well-governed datasets.

• Sustain and maintain specialised research services.

In this scenario, collections remain open for general use, while enhanced tools and data access are structured to support serious research use in a controlled environment.

Rethinking access controls for digital collections

For many organizations, the most important shift is not about restricting access — but about recognising what becomes possible when access is designed carefully.

We work with institutions including LLMC, Cambridge Public Library, Vassar College, Kathimerini, the Star Observer, Publishers Weekly, and Irish Newspaper Archives to create bespoke approaches that reflect these priorities, ensuring access models are fit for purpose.

Veridian Software is designed to support this level of flexibility, allowing access controls to be applied across a single collection in different ways and enabling institutions to tailor access models to the unique needs of their collections, communities, and responsibilities.

Collections that once felt unsuitable for online publication may, with the right controls in place, be able to be shared responsibly for the first time.

Ready to rethink how access could support
your collection strategy?