Help to get a copy of a book PD in USA [From HathiTrust]

phileasfogg · Post by **phileasfogg** » December 5th, 2018, 4:01 pm

Hello, anybody can lend me hand to get a copy of this book? is PD in USA but is in Hathitrust and i cant get a coy from outside the country. I´m in Argentina
Thanks a lot
https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008981166
Victor

Post by **mightyfelix** » December 6th, 2018, 2:08 pm

Have you tried entering your location here? http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/43285498 There may be a library that you could contact to get access.

phileasfogg · Post by **phileasfogg** » December 6th, 2018, 3:10 pm

I did. The closest library is in Mexico 7000 km, maybe a little far to get a copy lol! I was joking, thanks anyway, but the problem seems that we dont have acces to ask for a digital copy from outside USA

Post by **TriciaG** » December 6th, 2018, 3:43 pm

Moved this to the Need Help forum, where it might get better response.

Post by **Availle** » December 6th, 2018, 4:40 pm

If the book is pre-1923 (i.e., PD in the US) and the author is public domain where you come from (even better: PD in most of the countries), it might be worth to write to Hathitrust directly and ask them to remove the limitation. I did that once, was no problem at all, but it did take a while...

phileasfogg · Post by **phileasfogg** » December 6th, 2018, 4:42 pm

Thanks a lot Availle I wonder if my english is good enough to ask for that, but i will try indeed. Thanks a lot for your advice

Post by **Availle** » December 6th, 2018, 4:46 pm

yes, your English is just fine!

I think they even have a form somewhere, don't remember...

phileasfogg · Post by **phileasfogg** » December 6th, 2018, 4:55 pm

That´s what i've wrote i hope is understandable (not sure even if that word exist lol). Thanks again Availle

Hello , my name is Victor Villarraza and I live in Argentina. I´m not an english speaker so excuse if i make a lot of mistakes while typing and trying to explain that I´m volunteer for Librivox so i usually use your page to find some PD material in order to record audios from my country. Now I´m focused on recording an anthology of fantastic short tales and I´d like to use this book i found in your catalogue
https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008981166
the book was printed on 1921 and both the author is Pd and the translator is PD in my country (here we follow teh +70 rule) and i can see that book is PD also in USA, but i cant get a copy. I asked help to some volunteers in USA because the problem could be I´m outside USA but they suggested me to write directly to you and that is wht I´m trying to do. Can you help me in this matter. Thanks a lot in advance for your assistance.
Regards
Victor Villarraza

Post by **Availle** » December 6th, 2018, 5:12 pm

Too much information - and not the right one

I bet Hathitrust get lots of email. You want them to quickly understand what you want from them and give them the means of acting as quickly and with as little overhead as possible. And in this case, it's not that YOU want the book, you want EVERYONE to get access to it - which is much more persuasive than "give me"

My suggestion (fill in the blanks please )

---------------------------------
Dear Madam, dear Sir,

I am from Argentina, trying to access the following book, which is currently only "limited view" for me:
https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008981166

However I believe that this book is public domain virtually everywhere because
- the book was published in 1921
- the author Theophile Gautier died in 1872
- the translator Pedro Vances died in

Since this book is most likely public domain worldwide, I would be grateful if you could make it "full view" internationally as well.

Thank you for looking into this,
with kind regards from Argentina,
Victor Villarraza
-----------------------------

phileasfogg · Post by **phileasfogg** » December 6th, 2018, 5:20 pm

Availle you are a geeeeenious!!!

Post by **Availle** » December 6th, 2018, 5:28 pm

Only if it works.

Good luck!

phileasfogg · Post by **phileasfogg** » December 6th, 2018, 5:29 pm

Lol while i trying to send your answer they have answered me this:
Hello Victor,
Thanks for your message. I am not able to make this title available to you, because of the status of being public domain in the United States. You are correct about the issue of your location being outside of the United States.
I recommend you visit a local university library to see if they can get this book through Interlibrary Loan.
Best of luck,

Gillian Keleher
HathiTrust User Support
UC Santa Cruz

Well i give up. Thanks anyway Availle. Last thing: once I remember Mary Ann downloaded a copy of a version of the Odissey form Hathitrust because she is librarian and she sent it to me as a PDF. I will ask her if that is doable.
I don´t bother you anymore with this. Anyway i have 35 other short tales for the project I´m thinking lol!!!! Anyway if you have any tip for starting a collaborative project please feel free to advice me.
Have a nice weekend

Post by **Availle** » December 6th, 2018, 5:40 pm

They are fast!

Sounds like a standard response though.

Don't give up just yet. Here we have (emphasis mine)
https://www.hathitrust.org/help_copyright#RestrictedAccess

If we cannot determine the copyright or permission status of a work, we restrict access to that work until we can establish its status.

Because of differences in international copyright laws, access is also restricted for users outside the United States to works published outside the United States after and including 1878.

Please use the feedback form at the top of each page to let us know if our records are incorrectly restricting access to an item.

1878 means a copyright of 140 years, which is awfully long - and the author is dead even longer. The only problem might be the translator, whose death year I don't know.
Still, I would try again, using the "feedback" link on top of the book page.

Post by **annise** » December 6th, 2018, 5:48 pm

I wouldn't give up, I'm not sure if every USA person can download it or just someone whose library is a member, but it will happen, we just need the right person to see this.
They are just playing safe, as Google does , when in doubt just let USA residents download it. I have got Google to change their setting for Australian books. But you wouldn't succeed with a translated book unless the translator was PD for your country too.

Anne

phileasfogg · Post by **phileasfogg** » December 6th, 2018, 8:16 pm

Well finally they have answered they dont do international research in order to see if a translated book is or not PD, so probably i can wait in order to see if somebody from USa have a ID card to get a copy of tjhis book and if he/she is so nice to post a link in order to read from there a short tale. Anyway I´ll start a new collaborative project so it can be added later, if it happens that i can get a copy. Thanks everybody for your concern. You were very nice!