Harold L. Drimmer Library Research Guides: Copyright: Search for Images

Image Search Engines

Images from any website may require permission. It is strongly suggested that you read the terms and conditions, legal, copyright or equivalent sections of each website whose images you use to determine their requirements for permission and credit.

Creative Commons
"Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that enables the sharing and use of creativity and knowledge through free legal tools."
Google Images
Searches by use type in addition to image requirements (color, size, transparency etc).
Wikimedia Commons
Freely accessible repository of video, images and sound files available to reuse, copy and modify.
Compfight
Find images in Flickr.

Museum Websites

Images from museum websites usually require permission or proper credit through citation. It is strongly suggested that you read the terms and conditions, legal, copyright or equivalent sections of each website whose images you use to determine their requirements for permission or citation.

Images in Freely Accessible Websites

Images from freely accessible websites, including government websites, may still require permission or provide credit. It is strongly suggested that you read the terms and conditions, legal, copyright or equivalent sections of each website whose images you use to determine their requirements for permission and credit.

Images Canada
"Images Canada provides central search access to the thousands of images held on the websites of participating Canadian cultural institutions."
The 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, and the general public."
Click on an image to see rights/usage limitations.
Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division
"The Prints and Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC) contains catalog records and digital images representing a rich cross-section of still pictures held by the Prints & Photographs Division and, in some cases, other units of the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress offers broad public access to these materials as a contribution to education and scholarship."
be sure to read "rights information" under ABOUT PPOC to find out which images are freely available for reuse.
NASA Images
"The site contains everything from classic photos to educational programming and HD video, and is growing all the time as we continue to gain both new and archived media from all of NASA's centers."
National Park Service Digital Image Archive
All photographs and images in this archive are in the public domain. Images may be used without a release from the National Park Service. However, "the photographs and images must not be used to imply National Park Service endorsement of a product, service, organization or individual."
New York Public Library Digital Gallery
"This website helps to fulfill the traditional mission of The New York Public Library to select, collect, preserve and make accessible 'the accumulated wisdom of the world, without distinction as to income, religion, nationality, or other human condition.' "
New York Public Library Picture Collection Online
A select group of images from The New York Public Library, Mid-Manhattan Library
Public Health Image Library
"Created by a Working Group at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)..."
Time & Life Pictures - Getty Images
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service National Digital Library
A wide assortment of selected images, publications, video and audio clips that are in the public domain. No permission is necessary to use them, but credit to the photographer or creator is required.

Copyright: Search for Images

Image Search Engines

Museum Websites

Images in Freely Accessible Websites

Celebrating 75 Years of Excellence!