Finding and Using Images in Publications: Finding Images
Finding Images
Public Domain Images: Using public domain images is one way to ensure that you are not violating copyright. Public domain refers to works that are no longer under copyright protection or that failed to meet the requirements for copyright protection. Authors can use images found in the public domain without seeking permission from the copyright holder.
Creative Commons: If you can't find the images you want in the public domain, consider using Creative Commons-licensed images. Creative Commons licenses are copyright licenses that allow the creators of works to indicate how they want others to share and use the work. When using a Creative Commons-licensed image, be sure that your use does not violate the license (licenses may stipulate that the author must be cited, or that the work cannot be used for commercial purposes).
Fondren Library Image Databases: Please be aware that Fondren Library's collections of images have generally been licensed from museums and other organizations that permit use of the images for research and scholarship only. Other uses, whether commercial or not (e.g., use on an organization's poster), usually require explicit permission from the original source. Be sure to check the rights for every image used, as they often vary from image to image, even when in the same database. Often, if information about reuse of an image is not found with the item, it can be found in a "Terms and Conditions" section.
For assistance finding images in databases and other Fondren resources, please contact Jet Prendeville, Art/Architecture Librarian, at jetp@rice.edu
Resources for finding images in the public domain
- The National Gallery of ArtProvides guidance for using images in its collection that are believed to be in the public domain or fall under its Open Access Policy.
- Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam: Rijks Studio“invites members of the public to create their own masterpieces by downloading images of artworks or details of artworks in the collection and using them in a creative way. The ultra high-resolution images of works, both famous and less well-known, can be freely downloaded, zoomed in on, shared, added to personal ‘studios’, or manipulated copyright-free.” Note: Only images in the Rijks Studio collection are in the public domain. Images for any other works held by the Rijksmuseum require permission for reuse.
- The Public Domain ReviewAn online journal that highlights public domain collections. Users can browse collections by medium, time period, tag, source, and public domain rights (i.e., whether the work is public domain worldwide).
- The Getty Open Content ProgramThe Getty makes available, without charge, all available digital images to which the Getty holds the rights or that are in the public domain to be used for any purpose. No permission is required.
- Yale University Art GalleryUnder Yale's Open Access Policy, "anyone may use the Gallery’s open-access material without further application, authorization, or fees due to the Gallery or to Yale." You cannot search by public domain, but each image record includes its copyright status. Guidelines for attribution can be found at http://artgallery.yale.edu/using-images
- New York Public Library Public Domain CollectionsProvides access to more than 180,000 in the Library's Digital Collections that are in the public domain.
- Prelinger ArchivesThe Prelinger Archive is a collection of "ephemeral" (advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur) films made available through the Library of Congress
- The Newberry Digital CollectionsApplying to everything from the pictures researchers take in the library’s reading rooms to the 1.7 million high-resolution Newberry images currently available online, the revised [open access] policy is intended to encourage users to interact more freely with collection items as they produce new scholarly and creative work. Many Newberry items now available online are part of the public domain, and can be used and shared freely without violating copyright law. However, users remain responsible for determining whether material is in the public domain, whether it is protected by copyright law or other restrictions, or whether a particular activity constitutes fair use.
Resources for finding Creative Commons images
- Creative Commons SearchProvides an interface for searching for Creative Commons content in several resources, including Flickr, Google and Wikimedia Commons.
- FlickrAllows users to search images by type of Creative Commons license.
- EuropeanaFacilitates searches for content found in European cultural institutions. Once you run a search in their search bar, you can limit your results to items that are freely usable or available under a Creative Commons--found under “By Copyright” in the left menu.
- Folger Shakespeare Library Digital Image LibraryAll images found in this collection are licensed CC BY-SA, meaning that you are allowed to use the image only if 1) you cite the Folger Shakespeare Library as the source, and 2) you license anything you create using the images under the same or equivalent license.
Fondren subscription & educational use databases
- ArtStor Images for Academic Publishing programMakes available images for use in academic publications, free of charge.
- Copyright and Image Use in the Artstor Digital LibraryGuide to using images in Artstor.
- Fondren Images Research GuideA guide to finding and using images.
- Fondren Art History Research GuideA guide to Fondren Art History resources including subscription databases, free sources of images restricted to educational uses.
- Fondren Classical Art & Archaeology Research GuideA guide to Classical Art & Archaeology resources at Fondren Library.