Papers consist of reports, printed matter, correspondence, letters, memoranda, notes, surveys, agenda, minutes, legal documents, and photographs, 1983, 1992-1999 and undated (bulk 1996-1998), created and used by Howard Besser, Principal Investigator and other participants in the Museum Educational Site Licensing Project, sponsored in part by the Getty Art History Information Program. The records describe the genesis, development, execution, and evaluation of the project.

The Museum Educational Site Licensing (MESL) Project (1994-1997) was designed to explore the feasibility of networked distribution of digital museum content in educational settings. The Project grew out of two meetings held in March 1994, the first was sponsored by the Getty Art History Information Program (AHIP), and the second by MUSE Educational Media. The AHIP meeting's purpose was to announce the launch of a digital imaging initiative; the MUSE meeting's purpose was to discuss the results of a study for developing model licensing agreements for digital media on CD-ROMs. Detailed planning for the MESL Project took place during the summer of 1994 and involved David Bearman (President, Archives and Museum Informatics), Howard Besser (Associate Professor, Information and Library Studies, University of Michigan), Eleanor Fink (Director, AHIP), Geoffrey Samuels (Director, MUSE Museum Multimedia Study Group), and Jennifer Trant (Consultant, and Manager of the Imaging Initiative, AHIP).

4.77 linear feet (12 boxes)

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The records in accession 2002.IA.05, subject to review for permanently closed information, are open to qualified researchers. Requests for access will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.