WELCOME TO THE U.S. COPYRIGHT OFFICE

ABOUT THE VIRTUAL CARD CATALOG

The U.S. Copyright Card Catalog provides an index to copyright registrations and other public records pertaining to ownership of copyrighted works. The catalog enables users to identify original copyright registration records and other U.S. Copyright Office records from 1870 through 1977. The information in these records typically includes: author(s), title of work, copyright registration number, and effective date of registration. These records do not include the full registration records or copies of deposited works registered with the Copyright Office. The card catalog also contains entries for transfers of ownership, generally one card for each title, assignee, and assignor.

Over the decades, with changes in the rules of cataloging copyright registrations, the U.S. Copyright Office has organized these records into several chronological periods or indexes. The indexes available in this Proof of Concept are the latest sections of the card catalog, interfiled alphabetically, covering registrations from 1955 through December 31, 1977, the last day on which works were registered under the 1909 copyright law.

VCC RELEASE 2 – NEW FUNCTIONALITY

This release enhances the browse functionality to include the ability to filter the cards images. Using raw metadata captured from the card image provides limited results, but it assists with pinpointing the image drawer and browsing across multiple drawers. It also may locate misfiled cards and authors with multiple names.

In addition, this release adds the ability to toggle between enhanced browse results, drawer results, and images to My Cards (previously My Folder), making it easier to locate specific card images.

THE PURPOSE OF THE VIRTUAL CARD CATALOG

The Proof of Concept card catalog represents a small sample set of card records, displayed in JPEG images, from the U.S. Copyright Card Catalog collection. It is not a final version of the planned Virtual Card Catalog (VCC). The images are presented in a similar filing order as found in the physical card catalog and may contain filing errors and corrupt images. In addition, the enhanced browse capabilities are limited due to the use of raw OCR data. We are working to update and improve the overall functionality.

The purpose of this Proof of Concept is to provide the public with a glimpse of the digitized card catalog and to solicit feedback that will provide valuable information for the future digital transformation of the U.S. Copyright Office physical historical records.

DISCLAIMER

This Proof of Concept is not a final version of the planned Virtual Card Catalog (VCC). The purpose of the VCC Proof of Concept is to test if this system can be used for online public access to the physical Copyright Card Catalog. The images appear in roughly the same filing order as the physical cards, but filing errors and corrupt images may cause some images to be in the wrong place. Enhanced browse capabilities are limited because data capture technology is not entirely accurate. We are working to update and improve overall functionality. Your feedback is essential to improving the system. This Proof of Concept does not replace or supersede existing search practices established by the U.S. Copyright Office. Any results obtained during the course of your enhanced browse are not reliable for legal matters. For information regarding searching copyright records, please refer to Circular 22 “How to Investigate the Copyright Status of a Work.” For information regarding the removal of personal information from the Virtual Card Catalog, please refer to the Circular 18 “Privacy: Copyright Public Records.”