Douglas D. Schumann Library & Learning Commons: ENGL 1100: Locating Images

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What is Creative Commons?

Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that enables the sharing and use of creativity and knowledge through free legal tools. A Creative Commons license is a grant of permission from the author to the public (or a segment of the public) to use portions of work otherwise protected by copyright without first obtaining permission from the author (within certain established guidelines).

It does not replace copyright; instead, it works alongside copyright. You still need to cite!

Find Images from the Web

Creative Commons Image Search
Search Creative Commons for images marked for reuse. Pay close attention to the "licenses" filter to determine the rules of reuse for each image.
Flickr
No account needed to search for images. Be sure to select "all creative commons" under the license dropdown. We recommend downloading the original size (which is located at the bottom right-hand corner of the web page).
Google Image Search
Google offers an enormous selection of images; however, not all of these images are free of restrictions. Be sure to modify the "Usage Rights" filter to limit your search only to graphics labeled for reuse.
Pexels
Another collection of free to use images.
Pixabay
This site offers a collection of over 1 million images (and videos) available for download free of copyright restrictions. You can view the full licensing terms here: https://pixabay.com/service/license/
Unsplash
A collection of thousands of freely-usable images.

Find Images from Schumann Library

ARTstor This link opens in a new window
Find high resolution art images from libraries, museums, and private collections
As of August 1, 2024, Artstor content is now hosted on JSTOR. Users can download and save images. To save images, users can create a free account. To download images, no account is needed.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
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Provides access to more than 12 million journal articles, books, images, and primary sources in 75 disciplines comprising area studies, arts, business and economics, history. humanities, law, medicine, science and mathematics, and social sciences.
As of August 1, 2024, Artstor's collections are now part of JSTOR. Users can access and download high resolution art images from libraries, museums, and private collections.
Women and Social Movements in the United States,1600-2000 This link opens in a new window
Provides coverage of four centuries of women’s history through images, primary documents, supplementary materials, and teaching tools. Also provides access to the online version of Notable American Women and the database on Commissions on the Status of Women.

Find Primary Sources from Large Digital Repositories

One option is to begin looking for objects in the far ranging aggregated digital collections in the humanities and social sciences.

Digital Commonwealth - Massachusetts Collections Online
Photos and other materials digitized by MA libraries, museums, archives & historical societies.
Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)
Millions of digital primary source items from U.S. libraries, museums, and archives.
Europeana
Cultural heritage from European museums, galleries, libraries and archives.
Internet Archive
Archives of Boston Public Library's collection of historical Boston planning documents.
Library of Congress
Largest library in the world, with books, recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps and manuscripts in its digital collections. Good site for political cartoons.
Library of Congress -Chronicling America
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1789-1963.
National Archives and Records Administration
Search the National Archives collections for federal government primary sources.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian collections from museums, archives, libraries, and research units relating to areas for Art & Design, History & Culture, and Science & Technology. Includes images, videos, audio files, podcasts, blog posts and electronic journals.

Find Primary Sources from Open Access Collections

Another option to find objects is to examine smaller, specialized collections

Avalon Project
Documents in law, history, and diplomacy from the ancient world to the present day.
The Making of America
19th-century book and magazine primary source materials on American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction
Harvard University Women Working, 1800-1930
Michigan University Library’s Making of America
NYPL Digital Collections
Drawings, maps, photos, books, videos, audio, and more in the applied sciences, fine and decorative arts, history, performing arts, and social sciences.
University of Wisconsin Digital Library for the Decorative Arts and Material Culture