Copyright and Images
Visual images are protected by copyright law under the same terms as other original work. Therefore, if you are using images in a class project, you need to consider copyright and fair use.
Selected sources for images
Open Access Images
Images from sources listed below are available for use on the open web. You are free to use these images in multimedia projects, websites, blogs, portfolios, etc.
Always read and comply with the use restrictions for specific image sources. Be sure to cite images someone else created.
Images should not be sold or used in commercial products or for commercial purposes.
- GraphicStock This link opens in a new windowTo access, click "Sign in with Google"
Download high quality, copyright- and royalty-free vector graphics, illustrations, and stock photos, including icons, design elements, infographic components, and backgrounds to enhance your poster, website, infographic, video, presentation, or other visual project. Check out Videoblocks and Audioblocks to find additional royalty-free elements.
- CC SearchCC Search is not itself a search engine. Instead, it offers easy access to search services provided by other organizations - such as Google Images, Flickr, and Fotopedia. You should always examine the information that accompanies the images you find to verify that they are in fact licensed under Creative Commons.
- Google Image - advanced searchUse the “Usage Rights” field to limit by license type.
- Wikimedia CommonsHistorical and contemporary images contributed by participants. Millions of high-resolution images of art, architecture, design, people, historical events, diagrams, and more.
- Flickr Creative CommonsFlickr's Creative Commons portal. Browse by license type or choose "Advanced Search" to limit to Creative Commons content.
- U.S. government photos and imagesPublic domain images by topic.
- National Gallery of Art (NGA Images)The digital image repository of the National Gallery of Art allows you to search, browse, share, and download images from the museum collection. The advanced search also included a limiter that enables you to find only open access images that are free of copyright restrictions.
- Pics4LearningArranged by subject, these Images are available for use by teachers and students.
- Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection DatabaseImages of artworks and objects from the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Disclaimer
Disclaimer: This guide covers basic issues of copyright for Bucknell students who may need to use copyrighted information in their course work. It is not intended as legal advice. More information is available on the mybucknell copyright site (login may be required), which includes our institution's policy.
Questions? Contact copyright@bucknell.edu
Additional Resources
- Visual Resource Association Statement on the Fair Use of Images for Teaching, Research, and StudyThe Visual Research Association (VRA) has created a best practice document regarding fair use of image in educational contexts. Keep in mind that such documents represent guidelines / interpretations of copyright law and are not the law itself.
- Digital Image Rights ComputatorThis online tool, developed by the VRA, is intended to help you make informed decisions about the use of copyrighted images in educational contexts.
Citing images
If you use an image you did not create, you must provide a citation. Images should be cited in all cases, even if the image is very small, or in the public domain. The citation should be accessible in the context of the image's use (within a Powerpoint presentation, on a web page, in a paper, etc.).
Image citations should include the following information at a minimum:
- Title
- Creator name
- Repository information (museum, library, or other owning institution)
- Image source (database, website, book, postcard, vendor, etc.)
- Date accessed
It is also useful to include date, and rights information, if known.
Citations can be formatted according to the citation style you are using.
.
Corridor in the Asylum, Vincent Van Gogh, 1889 (public domain)