Is everything in the Prints and Photographs Division collections in the public domain?
No. While many images are unrestricted, many are not. Patrons need to be aware of the several kinds of rights which might apply: copyright, donor restrictions, privacy rights, publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. 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 (such as donor restrictions, privacy rights, publicity rights, licensing and trademarks) when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the Division’s collections. The Division’s staff will attempt to inform patrons about such restrictions when information is readily available through the Division’s records. However, these records are not always complete. The U.S.
