Using Public
Domain Images





         Most federal and state government offices hold a treasury of Public Domain photos that are free to be used by the citizenry. For example, The Library of Congress holds millions of photos acquired over
 
the last century. "But not all of them are in Public Domain," says Craig D'Ooge of the LOC public affairs office. "Patrons need to be aware of the several kinds of rights which might apply: copyright, donor restrictions, privacy rights, publicity rights, licensing and trademarks.
         "Some photos might have been acquired through a contract photographer, in which case if no 'work for hire' agreement was signed, the photo is not in Public Domain. Also some donated collections are not in Public Domain. However, most all of the Library of Congress photos on the Internet are Public Domain," said D'Ooge.
         I searched through some of the popular government sites to find their copyright restriction statements. Here's what I found:

The National Archives
         "The majority of images on the National Archives and Records Administration's (NARA) Web site are in the Public Domain. Therefore, no written permission is required to use them. We would appreciate your crediting the National Archives and Records Administration as the original source. Please note that a few images on our site have been obtained from other organizations and that these are always credited. Permission to use these photographs should be obtained directly from those organizations."

The CIA
         "Unless a copyright is indicated, information on the Central Intelligence Agency Web site is in the Public Domain and may be reproduced, published, or otherwise used without the Central Intelligence Agency's permission. We request only that the Central Intelligence Agency be cited as the source of the information and that any photo credits or bylines be similarly credited to the photographer or author or Central Intelligence Agency, as appropriate."

Library of Congress
         "As a publicly supported institution the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the Library's collections."

The Air Force
         "Information presented on Air Force Link is considered public information and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credits is requested."

NASA
         "NASA images generally are not copyrighted. You may use NASA imagery, video and audio
material for educational or informational purposes, including photo collections, textbooks, public exhibits, and Internet Web pages."

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
         "All images are for public use, but please credit the photographer and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service."

         For guidance on what may be in Public Domain and what may not be, read pamphlet #195 at: http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/print/195_copr.html

         For starters, here's a group of Web sites to check out:
http://www.af.mil
http://www.nara.gov
http://www.loc.gov
http://www.army.mil


           


           

Tommy Thompson

Kerry Kolb

Jon Saban

Jake Nelson