These grants support research and development projects that address major challenges in preserving or providing intellectual access to humanities resources. Applicants should define a specific problem, devise procedures and potential solutions, and evaluate findings. Successful proposals ought to have broad applicability to the humanities. NEH encourages applications that will explore new uses of digital technology in the humanities.

Eligible projects might:

* develop technical standards, best practices, and tools for preserving and creating access to humanities collections;
* explore more effective scientific and technical methods of preserving humanities collections;
* develop new procedures to create reference works; or
* improve the policies and practices of humanities research institutions affecting preservation and access on a national level.

University of Maryland, University College, has developed a series of resources to help educators determine their ability to claim fair use in an academic setting. This document outlines the basics of copyright and fair use and included a sample letter that can be used by academics or students to request permission to use copyrighted materials. To help educators make judgments on what is (or is not) Fair Use, this document includes various guidelines such as the amount of time for which a claim of fair use holds, or the percentage amount of a complete text that can be reproduced legally.

As a follow-up to their exploratory report of the effects of copyright restrictions on documentary filmmakers, Pat Aufderheide and Peter Jaszi have collaborated with a group of filmmakers, lawyers and other experts to create a statement of best practices for claims of fair use in documentary filmmaking. This statement will help guide filmmakers in their claims of fair use, and help inform them what material is within their bounds. This statement of best practices will help standardize the process of seeking and obtaining rights in the documentary film world, and assist in helping filmmakers make legally informed decisions. According to the statement, documentary filmmakers should be afforded the same rights as cultural and historical critics in print media.