http://officeforscholarlycommunicationharvardlibrary.createsend.com/t/ViewEmailArchive/t/EB6E64DBC8091835/C67FD2F38AC4859C/

"The Harvard Library is pleased to announce a new policy on the use of digital reproductions of works in the public domain. When the Library makes such reproductions and makes them openly available online, it will treat the reproductions themselves as objects in the public domain. It will not try to restrict what users can do with them, nor will it grant or deny permission for any use."

This is something which really ought to be a matter of course.

See also http://via.lib.harvard.edu/ (this should be a library website)