Organization for Transformative Works

Open Doors

I put my story in a collection or archive that has since been transferred to the OTW. If I don't want it there anymore, can I get it removed?

Yes, absolutely. We will also gladly work with you to find some solution other than deletion that preserves your work as part of the collection in a way that makes you comfortable.

I have a large fanfic archive and I don't have time to run it anymore. Will you take it over for me under Open Doors?

Once the Archive Of Our Own is up and running, we will be happy to help the maintainer of an existing archive to transfer the contents of their archive into the Archive Of Our Own.

Why was the Foresmutters Archive the first Open Doors project?

Foresmutters is a bibliography and collection of some of the stories from the very earliest days of recorded slash: principally Kirk/Spock from the mid-1970s. The original maintainer of Foresmutters, Mary Ellen Curtin, was urgently looking for help to preserve and grow the collection, just as we were looking for a test case for the Open Doors project. She was willing to work with us on the Open Doors Terms of Service and to come on while they were still in a tentative state.

Do you provide server space to any fannish project that needs it?

While the Archive of Our Own welcomes fanworks of all kinds, our resources for supporting projects that can not be easily integrated to the Archive are limited. While we are open to talking to the maintainer of any fannish project which needs our help, we are not providing general hosting like an ISP. A special project that requires its own server space or other resources will need to be approved by the Board as a special collection before it is brought on.

The maintainer of a collection brought on under Open Doors also has to agree to the Open Doors Terms of Service.

What are your Terms of Service for Open Door projects?

These are still in progress and will be posted under the Open Doors project page as soon as they are ready.

Why would I want to transfer my collection/fannish project to Open Doors and the OTW?

There are several advantages to transferring your collection.

  • Long-term preservation. Your collection will be maintained and supported even if you lose internet access, interest, or time.
  • Infrastructure. The OTW is set up to bring in volunteers, provide advice and technical help for maintaining and growing your collection or project.
  • Encouraging contributions. Volunteers and contributors are more likely to invest their time and energy in a project when they have a real expectation that their work will be preserved into the future.
  • Financial support in a nonprofit environment. The OTW will never exploit your work or the work of your contributors for individual profit.

What is the Open Doors project?

The Open Doors project of the Organization for Transformative Works is dedicated to preserving fanworks for the future. Our goal in particular is to preserve those fannish projects that might otherwise be lost due to lack of time, interest, or resources on the part of the current maintainer.

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