Illustration: Additional Help

Searching for Images

The resources listed below contain images that you may use in your projects. Public domain images may be used without restriction, though providing attribution is a courtesy and reflects good academic practice. Images with a Creative Commons license may be used according to the permissions that come with the license. 

• Cleveland Museum of Art Open Access
  • More than 30,000 art images in the public domain or licensed Creative Commons Zero (CC0), meaning the work has been dedicated to the public domain.
• Creative Commons Search
  • Search for Creative Commons licensed music, images, and media from several providers.
• Flickr "The Commons"
  • These are images marked with a "No Known Copyright Restrictions" designation. When searching, make sure to use the search bar which indicates, "Search The Commons."
• Library of Congress
  • LoC has assembled collections of public domain or copyright-cleared images from its vast digital image database.
• The Met Open Access Artworks
  • "Enjoy more than 406,000 hi-res images of public domain works from the collection that can be downloaded, shared, and remixed without restriction."
• NASA
  • NASA content -- images, audio, video, and computer files used in the rendition of 3-dimensional models, such as texture maps and polygon data in any format -- generally are not copyrighted.
• National Gallery of Art Images
  • More than 51,000 open access digital images are available for free download and use. The art in the open access collection are presumed in the public domain.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • Though the images here are in the public domain, NOAA does require photo credit.
• New York Public Library Digital Collections
  • When you search for an image in the NYPL collection, filter your results by "Show Only Public Domain."
• The Noun Project
  • This site contains over two million icons, all licensed CC-BY.
• Picryl
  • "PICRYL is the largest source for public domain images, documents, music, and videos."
• Pixabay
  • Free images, vectors, illustrations, and videos are available on Pixabay which do not require attribution. The Pixabay license is not completely in the public domain, but users may alter the images and even use them for commercial purposes.
• Unsplash
  • The license on Unsplash images is similar to that of a Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license. Attribution is not required but appreciated.
• Wikimedia Commons
  • "A collection of 52,611,560 freely usable media files to which anyone can contribute." Check each image, audio file, or video file for its copyright status or Creative Commons License.

Works in the Public Domain

Copyright law protects authors, artists, and creators so that they can benefit from and protect the tangible works they create. Copyright holders have the exclusive right to copy and distribute their works, and to publicly perform and display their works, among other things. How can you use someone else's work without infringing on their copyrights?

First, consider using works that are in the public domain, which are materials not protected by intellectual property laws such as copyright. A work may have entered the public domain because the copyright expired, the copyright owner has dedicated the work to the public domain, or it may be a work published by the U.S. Federal Government. 

Although there are a number of other scenarios where a work might exist in the public domain, you can identify many public domain works because they are:

• Works published in the U.S. before 1924
• Works of the U.S. Federal Government produced by employees or officers acting in their official capacities
• Laws, including statutes and case law
• Facts and data (though the expression of facts/data may be copyright protected)
• Works dedicated to the public domain by the copyright holder, often labeled with a "CC0" symbol or icon

 This is a simple overview of the public domain. Determining whether a work is in the public domain can be quite complicated. If you'd like to read more about copyright, fair use, and the public domain, Stanford University Libraries has an excellent guide.

My Library Account

Contact a Librarian

Email Us
refdesk@cscc.edu

Call Us
614-287-2460   Columbus
740-203-8183   Delaware

Visit Us
Columbus Hall  Columbus
Moeller Hall  Delaware

Book a Librarian

 Library Help

Reference librarians are committed to assisting you with the following:

Locating appropriate resources

Developing research skills

Providing citation guidance

Assisting with library technology

Reference librarians are on duty in person and virtually during all hours the library is open. Drop in to our Columbus and/or Delaware locations, contact us on chat, call (614-287-2460), or email refdesk@cscc.edu. You can also book appointments via Starfish!