Library Guides: Advertising: Finding & Using: Images, Videos, and more

Library Resources

Artstor Digital Library This link opens in a new window
The Artstor Digital Library is a nonprofit resource that provides more than one million digital images in the arts, architecture, humanities, and sciences with an accessible suite of software tools for teaching and research.
Beginning August 1, 2024 Artstor's content is now accessed on JSTOR.
Naxos Jazz Library This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive collection of jazz music including over 22,600 tracks as well as notes and biographical information.
Naxos Music Library This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive collection of classical music including over 265,000 tracks as well as notes and biographical information.

Public Domain Resources

Below are links to various resources with images, video, and audio and that are considered to be in the public domain.

American Memory Collection
The Library of Congress's American Memory collection provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience.
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, the print disabled, and the general public.
Library of Congress: Free to Use and Reuse Sets
This page features items from the Library's digital collections that are free to use and reuse. The Library believes that this content is either in the public domain, has no known copyright, or has been cleared by the copyright owner for public use.
National Archives
Explore U.S. history through documents, photos, and records.
New York Times Public Domain Images
Prelinger Archives
A collection of advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur films.
Presidential Libraries
Explore the libraries of former presidents from Herbert Hoover to George W. Bush.
Smithsonian Institution Public Domain Images

Creative Commons Resources

Below are links to various resources that allow users to search for works with creative commons licenses.

Fair Use

The U.S. Copyright Office defines fair use in section 107 of the copyright law (title 17, U.S. Code).

Section 107 contains a list of the various purposes for which the reproduction of a particular work may be considered fair, such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Section 107 also sets out four factors to be considered in determining whether or not a particular use is fair.

The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
The nature of the copyrighted work
The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work

Public Domain

Works in the public domain are not restricted by copyright.

Works in the public domain:

Government works and documents that were created as part of an officer or employee of the U.S. Government's official duties. This does not include works by government contractors.
Works that are assigned to the public domain by their creators.
Works with expired copyright.

What copyrighted works are currently in the public domain?

All works published in the U.S. before 1924
All works published with a copyright notice from 1924 through 1963 without copyright renewal
All works published without a copyright notice from 1924 through 1977
All works published without a copyright notice from 1978 through March 1, 1989, and without subsequent registration within 5 years

The current default copyright term is the author's life plus an additional 70 years.

Creative Commons Licenses

Creative Commons Licenses respect intellectual property rights while making it easier to legally and ethically share, alter or build upon the work of others. With a creative commons license a creator can let others know if and how they want their work reused or altered.

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