Copyright Friendly Resources
Copyright friendly resources
Introduction
Copyright-friendly resources are ones that fall outside of traditional copyright restrictions. These resources may be published using an open access model, may exist in the public domain, or may be covered under alternative licensing agreements such as Creative Commons.
To help determine whether a work is in the Public Domain of Canada, see the Canadian Public Domain Flowchart created by the University of Alberta Copyright Office.
Reverse Image Searches
- TinEye Reverse Image Search allows you to search for alternative image sources. This can be helpful when your current source does not permit your desired use, but it is also always good practice to track down the original source/owner to determine use rights.
- Another option is to right click on an image and select "Search Google for image".
Good Resources on What "Royalty Free" Means
- "Royalty Free" does not mean an image is free! See this article for more info: What are Royalty Free Images?
What is Creative Commons?
Creative Commons (CC) is a non-profit organization that makes it easy for creators to legally share their work with others under most countries' copyright regimes. They offer a standardized way to grant copyright permissions that anybody can apply to their work to allow others to share, remix, or use the work without having to ask for permission. There are several licenses, each with different terms for users.
Through openverse, you can access other sites like Flickr, Google Images, Wikimedia Commons and YouTube and search them for CC licensed materials. Currently you can only search one site at a time. Another option is to use the "Tools" option in Google Image Search and select the CC license terms that apply to your work.
Understanding Creative Commons Licensing: the "Terms"
Users can choose to combine any of the following 4 terms to create a license for their work, depending on how they want others to use it:
| Terms | Image | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Attribution |  |
All CC licenses require that others who use your work in any way must give you credit the way you request, but not in a way that suggests you endorse them or their use. If they want to use your work without giving you credit or for endorsement purposes, they must get your permission first. |
| Non Commercial |  |
You let others copy, distribute, display, perform, and (unless you have chosen No Derivatives) modify and use your work for any purpose other than commercially unless they get your permission first. |
| Share Alike |  |
You let others copy, distribute, display, perform, and modify your work, as long as they distribute any modified work on the same terms. If they want to distribute modified works under other terms, they must get your permission first. |
| No Derivatives |  |
You let others copy, distribute, display and perform only original copies of your work. If they want to modify your work, they must get your permission first. |
It is important to consider how you want to use a work before you begin your search. For example, if you need to make changes, then an "ND" license won't help you.
Understanding Creative Commons Licensing: Specific Licenses
The four license conditions described above can be combined to make specific licenses. The 7 license types are:
| Title | Image | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Attribution |  |
This lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon a work, even commercially, as long as they credit the creator for the original creation. This is the most flexible and accommodating license. |
| Attribution-NoDerivs |  |
This allows for redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, as long as the licensed work is passed along unchanged and in whole, with credit to the creator. |
| Attribution-NonCommercial |  |
This lets others remix, tweak, and build upon a work non-commercially, and although new works must also acknowledge the creator and be non-commercial, they don’t have to license their new works on the same terms. |
| Attribution-ShareAlike |  |
This lets others remix, tweak, and build upon the work even for commercial purposes, as long as they credit the creator and license all new creations under the same license. All new works based on yours will carry the same license, allowing for commercial use. |
| Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike |  |
This lets others remix, tweak, and build upon a work non-commercially, as long as they credit the creator and license their new creations under the identical terms. |
| Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs |  |
This is the most restrictive of the licenses, only allowing others to download your works and share them with others as long as they credit the creator, but they can’t change them in any way or use them commercially. |
 |
This purports to put the work into the public domain by waiving all ownership rights as allowed under law. This means that anyone can use the work in any way with no attribution required. |
Image resources
Diversity & inclusion image resources
General image sources
| Resource | Use | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Artstor | In class & D2L | Some 300 collections of over 2.5 million images allow scholars to examine wide-ranging material such as Native American art from the Smithsonian, treasures from the Louvre, panoramic, 360-degree views of the Hagia Sophia, anthropology from Harvard’s Peabody Museum, archeology from Erich Lessing Culture and Fine Art Archives, and modern history from Magnum Photos. |
| Calgary Public Library, Calgary's Story | In class & D2L | A collection of digitized images and maps from Calgary and Alberta. You can use images from these collections for educational purposes with the following attribution: Courtesy of Calgary Public Library Community Heritage and Family Histories Collection. If you have questions, need a higher-resolution version, or would like permission to include material on a public website, please contact Carolyn Ryder, 403-260-2600, carolyn.ryder@calgarypubliclibrary.com |
| Creative Commons Search | In class & D2L | A meta-search tool. Can be used to find CC-licensed images on Google Images, Fotopedia, Europeana, etc. Remember to verify that works are CC-licensed by following the links to resources that appear in your results. |
| Flickr Creative Commons Search | In class & D2L | Use the Flickr Advanced Search to search for CC-licensed images. Look under the “Additional Info” on an image page for licensing info and terms of use. |
| The Flickr Commons | Unrestricted | Public domain photography collections supplied by libraries and museums from around the world. Some samples: Vancouver Public Library, the Biodiversity Heritage Library. |
| Foodie's Feed | Unrestricted | Free food photography. Photos are licensed under CC License Zero. Can be used for commercial purposes. |
| Freepik.com | In class & D2L | Be sure to comply with the terms of the particular CC license that is applied. |
| Google Advanced Image Search | In class & D2L | Use the “Usage Rights” option to search for copyright-free materials, and select the limiter for “Commercial Use”. Not all photos found via Google Advanced Image Search can be used – you must search for them properly (see column, left). If you select the limiter for “Commercial Use”, these images can be used for commercial purposes. Always go directly to the hosting website for downloading and for your citations as "Google Images" is not a source. Also keep in mind to ask if the image was legally uploaded. |
| Gratisography | In class & D2L | Gratisography provides high quality and completely free photos. All photos are tagged, searchable and also easy to discover. Note that sponsored Shutterstock images are also shown during searches but are not free of copyright restrictions. Those images are marked with a gray background and display the Shutterstock logo. Please see their License page for more information. |
| Internet Archive Images | In class & D2L | This library contains digital images uploaded by Archive users which range from maps to astronomical imagery to photographs of artwork. Many of these images are available for free download. See their terms of service. |
| ISO Republic | Unrestricted | Free high-quality, copyright-free photos. Can be used for personal and commercial projects. See terms here. |
| Libraries and Archives Canada | In class & D2L | Historical materials, including images, videos, and written texts, many of which are in the public domain. Please see their copyright page for more info. |
| Library of Congress Photos, Prints, Drawings | In class & D2L | Historical collection including photographs, prints and drawings, many of which are in the public domain. Please see the Rights & Access drop-down beneath each individual image for more info, with close attention to the "Rights Advisory" notation. |
| New Old Stock | Unrestricted | Vintage photos from public archives that are free of known copyright restrictions. |
| New York Public Library | Unrestricted | As of January 2016, more than 160,000 of the NY Public Library’s public domain images have been released in the highest available resolution. Please see their Terms and Conditions. |
| Open Images | In class & D2L | Open Images is an open media platform that offers online access to audiovisual archive material to stimulate creative reuse. Please see their Terms of Use. |
| Open Street Map | In class & D2L | User-generated maps and data from around the world, free to use under an open license. See the Copyright and License page for information on how you can use these images and data. |
| Pexels | Unrestricted | Pexels provides high quality and completely free stock photos licensed under CC0. All photos are tagged, searchable and also easy to discover. Please see their License page. |
| Picjumbo | Unrestricted | Free stock photos for personal and commercial use. Search by categories including animals, food, technology, and more. Attribution appreciated. Most uses allowed. See terms of use here. |
| Picography | Some restrictions | Free, high-resolution photos. Please see their Terms. |
| Pixabay | Unrestricted | Photos and clipart published under CC-Public Domain license (free of copyright restrictions). Note that sponsored Shutterstock images are also shown during searches but are not free of copyright restrictions. Those images are marked with a gray background and display the Shutterstock logo. |
| Public Domain Sherpa - Public Domain maps | Unrestricted | A list of 21 sources for maps in the Public Domain (in the US). As the site itself notes, most links lead to sites with a mixture of public domain and copyrighted materials - the ultimate responsibility for checking and adhering to copyright falls to the user. |
| Startup Stock Photos | Unrestricted | Free photos of start-up culture, people working, office spaces, etc. Photos published under CC License Zero. Can be used for commercial purposes. |
| StockSnap.io | Unrestricted | Hundreds of high resolution images added weekly. Free from copyright restrictions. All photos on StockSnap have been released under Creative Commons - CC0. This license allows you to download, copy, modify, and distribute the photos, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. All photos are licensed under CC License Zero. Can be used for commercial purposes. |
| Stokpic | Unrestricted | Free stock photos that deal with a variety of subjects. New photos added every two weeks. No copyright restrictions; public domain. |
| Travel Coffee Book | Unrestricted | Free travel photos from around the world. 10 new photos every 10 days. You can download all released photos at once. All photos are licensed under CC License Zero. Can be used for commercial purposes. |
| Unsplash | Unrestricted | Free high-resolution stock photos depicting a wide variety of subjects. 10 new photos are released every 10 days. All photos are licensed under CC License Zero. Please see their license. Can be used for commercial purposes. |
| US Government Printing Office | Unrestricted | US federal government publications created from 1976 onwards are usually available online from the US Government Printing Office. Federal government publications which are prepared by federal employees as part of their official employment enter the public domain upon creation, per Title 17, Section 105 of the United States Code. Works created by contractors are generally subject to copyright - with the rights retained by the creator. For a detailed explanation of the Public Domain as it pertains to US Federal Government publications go to askGPO and type "Public Domain" into the search box. |
| Wellcome Images | In class & D2L | CC BY 2.0 and CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licensed images of thousands of years of human culture. See "Terms of Use" for instructions on attribution. Verify license before use. |
| Wikimedia Commons | Some restrictions | 20 million freely usable image, sound, and video files. All files are public domain or CC-licensed. Check the “Licensing” section for an image to find any terms and conditions for reuse / instructions on attribution. |
| Wikimedia: Public Domain Image Resources | Unrestricted | Public domain image resources is a copy of the master Wikipedia page at Meta, which lists a number of sources of public domain images on the Web. Please see their Terms of Use. |
Art & history image resources
| Resource | Use | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| The Collections of the City of Paris Museums | In class & D2L | Nearing 1,000,000 digital images, this is a collection of images of Paris' greatest works taken from all of its museums. Check the usage terms of each collection. |
| Europeana | In class & D2L | An enormous treasure trove of historical digital resources from museums, galleries, and archives throughout Europe. Photos, artworks, drawings, objects, documents, and films. Many images are in the public domain or have permissive licenses, but check individual images for terms of use (some are not openly licensed). The advanced search tool allows users to filter by images that can be freely and openly used or by specific license. |
| French Revolution Digital Archive | In class & D2L | The Getty has made 4,600 high-resolution images of their museum collection free to use, modify, and publish for any purpose. Includes paintings, manuscripts, photographs, sculpture, etc. |
| Getty Open Content Program | In class & D2L | You let others copy, distribute, display, perform, and modify your work, as long as they distribute any modified work on the same terms. If they want to distribute modified works under other terms, they must get your permission first. From the Search Gateway, select the link for “Open Content Images”, which allows for images available for reuse. Images should be attributed with the statement “Digital image courtesy of the Getty's Open Content Program”. |
| Internet Archive Book Images | In class & D2L | Millions of historical images from books scanned by the Internet Archive are available and searchable via tags on Flickr. The pictures date from 1500 to 1922 and include historical photos and drawings. Images are all in the public domain, and have no known copyright restrictions. |
| Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection Online | In class & D2L | As part of its Open Access for Scholarly Content (OASC) initiative, the Met now provides access to 400,000 high-resolution digital images of public domain works in its collection. Works covered by the policy are identified on the Museum’s website with the acronym OASC and can be used freely and without permission for non-commercial use, including scholarly/educational uses in any media. Includes iconic paintings, photographs, etchings, sculpture, etc. Image citations must include the creator and source and the URL "www.metmuseum.org." The website's terms and conditions stipulate that images should not be modified and cannot be used for commercial purposes. |
| Museum of New Zealand Collections Online | In class & D2L | The museum, also called Te Papa Tongarewa, has made 30,000 high-resolution images from their collection available for download and reuse under various CC licenses. At the Search Gateway, select the button for “with downloadable images”, which allows for images available for reuse. Select the image, then select the “download” button beneath the image. The attribution statement will be provided on the download page. |
| New Old Stock | In class & D2L | Cole Townsend curates this collection of vintage photos from public archives. The images are free of known copyright restrictions. Clicking on the link under each image will take you to its original post on Flickr, where you can get more information about the image. See Flickr's statement about public photo archives in the Flickr Commons, which have indicated "no known copyright restrictions." |
| Oxford Art | In class & D2L | Nearly 20,000 images of works of art, structures, plans, and artists' signatures. |
| The Smithsonian Institute | In class & D2L | More than 40,000 works being made available for high-resolution download—expanding regularly with new acquisitions. Images can be used for all non-commercial purposes. |
| Trove-National Library of Australia | In class & D2L | Close to 400,000,000 digital resources including many images, primarily from Australia. Also includes books, maps, music, historic newspapers. Limit your search to "freely available" content using the advanced search. See each resource for specific licensing information. |
| Vatican Digital Library | In class & D2L | This is an ongoing project aiming to digitize the entire Library's collection of manuscripts including 80,000 codices, mostly from the Middle ages and Humanistic Period. |
Science image resources
| Resource | Use | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| BioMed Central | In class & D2L | Not an image database. An online publisher of open access biology and medical journals which are Creative-Commons licensed. Figures and graphs in articles are also CC-licensed and available for reuse. Tables and figures published in articles on BioMed Central are available for use under the same CC-BY 2.0 or (starting Feb. 3, 2014) CC-BY 4.0 license as the journal articles. Advance permission is not required, but be sure to include a full citation. |
| Earth Science World Image Bank | In class & D2L | Maintained by the American Geological Institute (AGI), and provides over 6,000 quality geoscience images. Images are copyrighted, but contributing photographers to allow their images to be used for non-commercial purposes. For full terms, see their Image Use page. |
| Encyclopedia of Life | In class & D2L | A collaborative online encyclopedia with entries on all kinds of biological entities on Earth. In most cases, content is made available under a Creative Commons license. Check the license for any applicable terms of reuse. |
| Histology Atlas | In class & D2L | A collection of images relating to cell biology, histology and organs, in both plant and animals. Each image also includes a detailed description. All images are licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0. Be sure to comply with the terms of the license. |
| In class & D2L | An open web repository of images for use in international collaboration, research, and education in the biological community. Images not password-protected are CC-licensed. Images are available under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license, or under a less restrictive license. Password-protected images may not be used without written authorization from copyright holder. | |
| NASA Images | In class & D2L | NASA Images provides public access to NASA's image, video, and audio collections in a single online resource. (See also: NASA on Flickr Commons). NASA imagery is generally not protected by copyright, so you are free to use it for educational or informational purposes. Note: This permission does not extend to any use of the NASA logo. |
| PLOS One | In class & D2L | Not an image database. An online publisher of open access biology and medical journals which are Creative Commons licensed. Figures and graphs in articles are also CC-licensed and available for reuse. Tables and figures published in articles on PLOS One are available for use under the same CC-BY 3.0 license as the journal articles. Advance permission is not required, but be sure to include a full citation. |
| Science Image | In class & D2L | More than 4,000 free science and nature images and videos curated by CSIRO, Australia's major science research organization. Search by keyword or filter by categories including animals, insects, soil science, fire, water, and more. Images are available under CC BY 3.0 license. |
| Servier Medical Art | Some restrictions | More than 3,000 free medical images to illustrate publications and Powerpoint presentations. The collection is licensed under CC BY 3.0. Be sure to comply with the terms of the license. Please read the Terms of Use for more information. |
Diversity & inclusion image resources
| Resource | Use | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| AllGo Plus Size | Unrestricted | Free stock photos of plus-sized people. While attribution is not required, credit is recommended. Find the example credit caption on the front page of the collection. |
| Disabled and Here | In class & D2L | This collection is a disability-led effort to provide free and inclusive stock photos shot from their own perspective, featuring disabled Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) across the Pacific Northwest. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Please see their Image Usage and Credit page. |
| Education - Images of Teachers and Students in Action | In class & D2L | A free library of images celebrating student learning and teacher collaboration in seven schools across the United States. Images are licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0. Be sure to comply with the terms of the license. For more information, see the collection's License page. |
| The Gender Spectrum Collection | In class & D2L | Free stock photos of trans and non-binary people. All photos are licensed CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Be sure to comply with the terms of the license. |
| Images of Empowerment | In class & D2L | A free library of images celebrating women’s lives and their work in 11 countries around the world. Licensed under CC-BY-NC 4.0. Be sure to comply with the terms of the license. |
| Nappy | Unrestricted | Free high-resolution photos of people of colour, licensed under Creative Commons Zero (CC0). Please see their License page for more details. |
| The Noun Project | In class & D2L | An extensive collection of Creative Commons-licensed icons and symbols. Icons may be licensed under different CC licenses, so check each license for terms of reuse. A citation will be provided for you when you download an image. |
| Open Peeps | Unrestricted | A hand-drawn illustration library where the user can mix and match elements to create different "peeps." Please note that you might need a design program to create your own "peeps." There are also are pre-made "peeps" you can download without a program. All "peeps" are licensed under CC0 (public domain, free of copyright restrictions). |
| PICNOI | In class & D2L | High-resolution photos of people of colour. Please see their License. |
| Redefining Women Icon Collection | Unrestricted | A collection of icons of women. All icons are licensed under CC Public Domain CC0 1.0 (free of copyright restrictions). |
| #WOCinTech Chat | In class & D2L | Free photos of women and non-binary people of color working in the Tech field. This photo set is licensed under CC BY. Be sure to comply with the terms of the license. Please see the Attribution Notice for more details. |
Video resources
| Source | Use | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Creative Commons Search | In class & D2L | A meta-search tool. Can be used to find CC-licensed works. Remember to verify that works are CC-licensed by following the links to resources that appear in your results. |
| Engage Media | In class & D2L | Video sharing site focused on social justice issues in the Asia-Pacific area. Unless otherwise noted, all videos are licensed CC BY 3.0 AU. |
| Film Chest (At Internet Archive) | In class & D2L | Watch classic animated cartoons from the 1930’s and 1940’s. Its public domain content may be used for any purpose, including commercial use such as broadcasting on television, or as footage in film or video projects. Please see their Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and Copyright Policy. |
| Flickr | In class & D2L | Users can choose to limit the searches to Creative Commons licensed images and videos. Please see their Terms of Service. |
| HathiTrust | In class & D2L | A digital library that contains over 3,000,000 volumes of public domain works - use the "full view" limiter to access the public domain works. Please see their Copyright Page. |
| Google Advanced Image Search | In class & D2L | Use the “Usage Rights” option to search for copyright-free materials, and select the limiter for “Commercial Use”. Not all photos found via Google Advanced Image Search can be used – you must search for them properly (see column, left). If you select the limiter for “Commercial Use”, these images can be used for commercial purposes. Always go directly to the hosting website for downloading and for your citations as "Google Images" is not a source. Also keep in mind to ask if the image was legally uploaded. |
| Internet Archive Videos | In class & D2L | This library contains digital movies uploaded by Archive users which range from classic full-length films, to daily alternative news broadcasts, to cartoons and concerts. Many of these videos are available for free download. Please see their Terms of Use. |
| Open Video Project | In class & D2L | A repository of open access digitized videos for education and learning purposes. Please see their terms of use. |
| Prelinger Archives at the Internet Archive | In class & D2L | A collection of ephemeral films. These films are licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain license, and may be freely downloaded, used or reproduced, in whole or in part. |
| Public Domain Project | In class & D2L | Historic media files for free use. Please see their page on terms of use. |
| Ted Talks | In class & D2L | 1,900+ Ted Talk videos that can be freely shared for non-commercial purposes. A variety of languages and topics available. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. |
| Videvo | In class & D2L | Contains free HD stock footage and motion graphics licensed to use in your videos, including Creative Commons licenses. Please see their FAQs to review terms of use. |
| Vimeo Creative Commons Videos | In class & D2L | Hundreds of thousands of CC-licensed videos on Vimeo. Check each license to see what time of CC license has been applied. |
| Wikimedia Commons Videos | In class & D2L | A repository of public domain and freely licensed images and videos. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. Please see their Terms of Use. |
| YouTube Advanced Search | In class & D2L | After logging on, users can search for videos tagged with the Creative Commons Attribution license in the Video Editor. These videos are available to edit, remix, or modify. Remember to see which CC license was used! The guide "How to find Creative Commons Material using YouTube" explains the process. Please see their Copyright page. |
Audio resources
| Source | Comments |
|---|---|
| 99 Sounds | Several collections of high quality sound created by sound designers. Please see their License. |
| Audio Library | A collection of copyright-free and royalty-free music. Please their information page. Note: The music is only meant for YouTube projects. |
| Bandcamp | A collection of Creative Commons licensed music. Please see their Terms of Use. |
| ccMixter | An online collection of Creative Commons licensed music. Please see their Terms of Use. |
| Free Music Archive | An online library of audio and video content that the public, including music fans, webcasters, and podcasters, may listen to, download, or stream for free. Please see their Terms of Use. |
| Freesound | A collaborative database of Creative Commons Licensed audio snippets, samples, recordings, bleeps and sounds. Please see their Terms of Use. |
| HathiTrust | A digital library that contains over 3,000,000 volumes of public domain works - use the "full view" limiter to access the public domain works. Please see their Copyright Page. |
| International Music Score Library | An online database of musical scores and recordings. All content is in the public domain in Canada or the US. The site includes a "copyright made simple" page that contributors must read before adding content to the portal. Please see their Policy Page. |
| Internet Archive Audio | This library contains recordings ranging from alternative news programming, to Grateful Dead concerts, to Old Time Radio shows, to book and poetry readings, to original music uploaded by our users. Many of these audios and MP3s are available for free download. Please see their Terms of Service here. |
| Jamendo | Provides CC-licensed music from dozens of genres that you can download with P2P software like BitTorrent and eMule. |
| Juneberry 78s Early American Roots Music | Provides mp3s for a wide variety of Vintage Roots Music. Please see their Public Domain Disclaimer. |
| Musopen - Free Public Domain Classical Music | An online music library of public domain music. Please see their Terms of Use. |
| Opsound | An aggregator that provides links to a vast collection of CC-licensed music from many genres. |
| Partners in Rhyme | Royalty-free music tracks, collections, and sound effects. |
| Petrucci Music Library | A wiki-based repository of musical scores available in the public domain. Please see their Policy Page. |
| Public Domain Project | Historic media files for free use. Please see their page on terms of use. |
| Wikimedia Commons (Sounds) | A repository of public domain and freely licensed sounds (also contains images and videos). Please see their Terms of Use. |
| YouTube Audio Library | A collection of free downloadable music for use in video or audio projects. Please see their information page. |
Text resources
Open access journals - science
Open access journals - social science and humanities
Research (theses, dissertations, conference papers, etc.)
| Source | Comments |
|---|---|
| BC Open Textbook Project | Freely available open textbooks for courses in arts, sciences, humanities and business, supported by the BC government. |
| Biodiversity Heritage Library | The Biodiversity Heritage Library improves research methodology by collaboratively making biodiversity literature openly available to the world as part of a global biodiversity community. |
| Google Books | Provides full-text access to books that are out of copyright, as well as previews of in-copyright, in-print books. |
| Hathi Trust | A digital library that contains over 3,000,000 volumes of public domain works - use the "full view" limiter to access the public domain works. |
| Internet Archive | Access to downloadable video, audio, text & multimedia in the public domain. It hosts one of the largest collections of freely available digital content on the Web and includes digitized print books, audio files, moving images and, by means of the Wayback Machine, cached copies of websites. Not all the content is in the public domain and please note that the Internet Archive's terms limit use to "scholarship and research purposes only." The copyright status for most content is found in the description menu and Creative Commons licensed materials are also clearly identified with the CC logo appearing under the file links. |
| LibriVox | LibriVox enlists volunteers to record chapters of books in the public domain and release the audio files back into the public domain. An open source, public domain project. |
| OpenStax | OpenStax free textbooks are developed and peer-reviewed by educators to ensure they are readable, accurate, and meet the scope and sequence requirements of courses. |
| Project Gutenberg | Access to approximately 40,000 full-text public domain books. Please note their Terms of Use at the bottom of the landing page. |
| Project Gutenberg Canada | The Canadian version of Project Gutenberg has its own website and collection with more Canadian content than is available at Project Gutenberg, as well as other content which is in the public domain in Canada. |
| Project Runeberg | A volunteer project to create free electronic editions of classic Scandinavian literature. |
| Wikipedia Public Domain Sources (by Subject) | This “helpful guide to public-domain resources” lists hundreds of public domain resources (other websites) from around the web, organized by subject. |
| Source | Comments |
|---|---|
| Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) | An extensive directory of scholarly open access journals from around the world. |
| Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (BASE) | One of the world's largest search engines for academic open access web resources, including open access institutional repositories. |
| OAlster | A union catalog of millions of records from Open Access resources. |
| Directory of Open Access Repositories (OpenDOAR) | A directory of repositories worldwide that house open access research materials. |
| HighWire Press | Search full-text articles in science, medicine, special education and occupational therapy. |
Open access journals - science
| Source | Comments |
|---|---|
| arXiv.org | Contains e-prints in physics, mathematics, computer science, quantitative biology, quantitative finance and statistics. |
| BioMed Central | Search open-access bio-medicine journals. |
| Free Medical Journals | Provides links to dozens of open access medical journals. |
| Public Library of Science (PLoS) | Publishes a range of open access science journals and other scientific literature. Subject areas include biology, medicine, clinical trials and genetics |
| PubMed Central (PMC) Open-Access Subset | Search within journals marked with the OA symbol in the "Free Access" column for freely available articles |
Open access journals - social science and humanities
| Source | Comments |
|---|---|
| Social Science Research Network (SSRN) | Provides access to abstracts, scholarly working papers and forthcoming papers, and full-text articles in the social sciences. |
| Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy | An openly available online encyclopedia of philosophy, that is written and maintained by experts in the field and refereed by an editorial board. |
| Synergies: Canada's SSH Research Infrastructure | Indexes research results in social sciences and humanities published in Canada. |
Research (theses, dissertations, conference papers, etc.)
| Source | Comments |
|---|---|
| Directory of Open Access Repositories | A directory of repositories worldwide that house open access research materials including journal articles, pre-prints, archival documents, conference papers and proceedings. |
| OAlster | A catalogue of open access resources from repositories around the world. |
Sheet music resources
| Source | Comments |
|---|---|
| This website is designed to be a centralized resource for the voice student or teacher to find public domain sheet music, as well as other supporting materials. More copyright information for this site can be found here. | |
| The Choral Public Domain Library (CPDL), is an Internet-based free sheet music website which specializes in choral music. Please see the listing of all pages on CPDL which outline copyright information. | |
| Early Music Online | Early Music Online has digitized over 320 volumes of 16th-century anthologies of printed music, from holdings at the British Library. These digitized volumes contain approximately 10,000 musical compositions, which have been individually indexed. Note the material is made available for non-commercial use under Open Education User License 1.0, so the material cannot be used for commercial purposes. |
| Harvard College Library Digital Scores & Libretti | The Harvard College Library Digital Scores & Libretti database provides access to first and early editions and manuscript copies from the 18th to early 19th century. The collection includes works by JS Bach and members of the Bach family, Mozart, Schubert and more; multiple versions of 19th century opera scores; seminal works of musical modernism; and music of the Second Viennese School. Please see the Harvard Library E-Resources: Copyright and Licensing Restrictions. |
| Hathi Trust | A digital library that contains over 3,000,000 volumes of public domain works - use the "full view" limiter to access the public domain works. Please see their Copyright Page. |
| The David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Duke University holds a significant collection of 19th and early 20th century American sheet music. The Historic American Sheet Music Project provides access to digital images of 3042 pieces from the collection, published in the United States between 1850 and 1920. Please see their Permission & Attribution page. | |
| International Music Score Library Project | International Music Score Library is an online database of musical scores and recordings. All content is in the public domain in Canada or the US. The site includes a "copyright made simple" page that contributors must read before adding content to the portal. Please see their Policy Page. |
| Internet Archive | Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, and more. Please see their Terms of Use. |
| Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music at the Milton S. Eisenhower Library | This collection contains more than 29,000 pieces of American popular music spanning the years 1780 to 1980. Please click here for copyright information. |
| Library of Congress Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music, ca. 1870 to 1885 | The Library for Congress contains historical sheet music registered for copyright between 1820 and 1885, with more than 62,000 to choose from. Please see their Rights and Access Page. |
| Music Treasures Consortium | The Music Treasures Consortium provides online access to the world's most valued music manuscripts and print materials, held at the most renowned music archives. More copyright information for this site can be found here. |
| Musopen - Free Public Domain Classical Music | An online music library of public domain music. Please see their Terms of Use. |
| Mutopia Project | The Mutopia Project provides access to public domain scores typeset using LilyPond. Please view their Licensing Details for more information. |
| ScorSer | This is a search engine for downloadable .Pdf scores. You are responsible for determining copyright compliance as this is an aggregator, just like searching for works on Google. |
| Sibley Music Library Digital Scores | Public domain music scores and books digitized by Sibley Music Library, Eastman School of Music. This project is part of the institutional repository developed and hosted by the River Campus Libraries. Please see their Copyright and Fair Use page for more information. |
| Sheet Music Consortium | The Sheet Music Consortium is a group of libraries working toward the goal of building an open collection of digitized sheet music and is hosted by the UCLA Digital Library Program and supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Please see their Privacy and Terms of Use for more information. |
| VARIATIONS | VARIATIONS is an online score prototype project from Indiana University. It was last updated in 2005, but contains selected digitized public domain scores. Please see the Indiana University Policies on Intellectual Property for more information. |
| Wikimedia Commons (Sheet Music) | A repository of public domain and freely licensed images and videos. ext is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. |
| Source | Comments |
|---|---|
| Arriaga | The Bilbao Municipal Library Network is open to everyone, and its services provide access to information, culture and knowledge for free. Please see their Legal Warning page for more information. |
| Chopin Early Editions | The Chopin collection at the University of Chicago Library includes over 400 first and early printed editions of musical compositions by Frédéric Chopin, maintained in the Special Collections Research Center. Please see their Rights and Permissions page for more information. |
| Beethoven | Since 1997 the Munich Digitization Centre brings the rich holdings of the Bavarian State Library (BSB) to the Internet. Please see their Policies. |
| Chopin Variorum Edition | The Online Chopin Variorum Edition provides digital images of the manuscripts and first editions of select works by the Polish composer Fryderyk Chopin. Please see their Rights page for more information. |
| Handel | Since 1997 the Munich Digitization Centre brings the rich holdings of the Bavarian State Library (BSB) to the Internet. Please see their Policies. |
| Liszt | Since 1997 the Munich Digitization Centre brings the rich holdings of the Bavarian State Library (BSB) to the Internet. Please see their Policies. |
| Lully | The UNT Music Library's Jean-Baptiste Lully Collection includes almost thirty rare seventeenth- and eighteenth-century scores of operas, ballets, and compilations by the seventeenth-century French composer Jean-Baptiste Lully and his sons. Please see their Terms of Use. |
| Mendelssohn | Since 1997 the Munich Digitization Centre brings the rich holdings of the Bavarian State Library (BSB) to the Internet. Please see their Policies. |
| Mozart | The DME provides world wide access to the complete works of Wolfgang Amadé Mozart (1756–1791) in digital form via the internet for study and performance purposes. |
| Nielsen | Music scores of all Carl Nielsen's works are available for free download. Please see their Copyright and use of Copies page. |
| Schubert | Since 1997 the Munich Digitization Centre brings the rich holdings of the Bavarian State Library (BSB) to the Internet. Please see their Policies. |
| Schumann | Since 1997 the Munich Digitization Centre brings the rich holdings of the Bavarian State Library (BSB) to the Internet. Please see their Policies. |
| Source | Comments |
|---|---|
| ChoralWiki - Choral Public Domain Library | CPDL was founded in December 1998, ported to ChoralWiki in August 2005, and incorporated in May 2010 as a U.S.A. 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization. Here you will find free choral/vocal scores, texts, translations, and other useful information. Please see their copyright rules for more information. |
| American Choral Music, 1870 - 1923 | American Choral Music, a collaboration of the the Library of Congress and the American Choral Directors Association, provides access to significant choral music in the public domain by the leading American composers of the time. Please see their copyright and restrictions page for more information. |
| ChoralNet | ChoralNet is a professional networking site for the global online choral community. There are forums, choral organizations, choirs, resources, and the latest news of interest to the choral world. Please see their Terms of Use page for more information. |
Maker Studio resources
For more information on the library's Maker Studio, check out the Maker Studio website.
| Source | Comments |
|---|---|
| Adafruit Learning System | This site is a collection of tutorials and project ideas for working with Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Lilypad, circuits, 3D printing, and more. |
| Cubeecraft | A collection of paper craft patterns of various types that can be printed for folding. |
| Cubehero.com | A spot to share and locate designs. |
| Instructables.com | Instructables is the place to find project instructions to make all sorts of things. If something can be made, there is probably a video here on how to make it. You can also post your own projects here. |
| Makerspaces.com | Features 60+ makerspace project ideas of every level, from simple to complex. Additionally, you can download a free PDF listing 100 suggested materials and supplies for your makerspace. |
| Makezine | A magazine for makerspace enthusiasts that also provides free project ideas. |
| NIH 3D Print Exchange | Provides access to a community-contributed database of bioscientific 3D-Pintable files. |
| Raspberry Pi | Provides projects and support to use with Raspberry Pi. |
| Thingiverse | A repository of 3D designes that are open for anyone to modify or print using a 3D printer. |
| Yeggi.com | A search engine for 3D designs. |
| YouMagine.com | A spot to share and locate designs. |
Legal notice
The advice, information, and opinions on this LibGuide are not intended to constitute nor do they replace legal advice and they do not create an attorney-client relationship. Please consult with a lawyer for legal matters.