Research by Subject: Multimedia Resources: Images

Finding Images

NOTE: Some collections require that you limit your search to find images that are free to use and share. You should always examine the information that accompanies the images you find to verify that they are in fact licensed under Creative Commons. For information on using CC Search, take a look at the "Finding Images Free to Use and Share (Tutorials)" section of this page.

CC Search
CC Search offers easy access to search services provided by other organizations - such as Google Images, Flickr, and Wikimedia Commons.
The Met Open Access
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has images that are in the public domain. Learn about the collections and the open access policy here. Then search the collections and look for licensing information on the image you select.
Wikimedia Commons
A collection of freely usable media files to which anyone can contribute.
Flickr: Creative Commons
On the Flickr home page, hover over the Explore tab, and choose The Commons. Results for a search on The Commons have no known copyright restrictions.
Flickr: Advanced Search
Conduct your search, and then select a license type from the drop-down menu above the results.
Google Images
After conducting a search, use the Search Tools options to select the desired level of usage rights.
NOTE: If you do not use the advanced search limiter, most images that you find using Google are NOT copyright free. You should always examine the information that accompanies the images you find to verify that they are in fact in the public domain or licensed under Creative Commons.
NASA Images
Images of the universe, our planet, and astronauts created by NASA and available through the Internet Archive. Images are generally copyright free (for the few exceptions, read the "terms" section of the website).
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. Select "Open Access Available" in the advanced search to find images that are free of copyright restrictions. NOTE: not all images are copyright free.
U.S. Geological Survey Photographic Archive
Historical images from the U.S. Geological Survey Photographic Library, all in the public domain.
Free Stock Photos
On this website, you can find free stock photos and clip art. NOTE: this site contains images that do have copyright restrictions. You must read and abide by the Image License and Usage Terms listed on the photo download page.
freedigitalphotos.net
On this website, you can find free stock photos. NOTE: read the terms of use before downloading an image.

Image Collections

The British Library
A collection of public domain images (check licensing for requirements) which includes maps, illustrations, letters, and more from 17th-19th century books.
Other Flickr Collections
See this page for a linked list of institutions participating in the Commons, and contributing images with no known copyright restrictions.

Finding Images Free to Use and Share (Tutorials)

Using Flickr to find Creative Commons photographs
In this video, you will learn how to find images with Creative Commons Licenses on Flickr. The video was created by Justin Unrau, a graduate student at the School of Library Archival and Information Studies at the University of British Columbia.
Using Creative Commons to find images on Google Image
This video, produced by Whatcom Community College (Bellingham, WA), takes you through the steps of using search.creativecommons.org to search Google Images. NOTE: This video should help you to perform most searches using the Creative Commons search portal, not just the Google Images search.

Additional Resources

Visual Resource Association Statement on the Fair Use of Images for Teaching, Research, and Study
The 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 Computator
This online tool, developed by the VRA, is intended to help you make informed decisions about the use of copyrighted images in educational contexts.

Resources by Language

europeana
Find text, image, audio and video resources by language. Type in your search term, and then limit "By language of description."

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.

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.