Guidelines for Reproducing or Publishing Materials

In accordance with the Polices Governing the Use of Archives, Manuscripts, and Special Collections, it is the researcher's sole responsibility to obtain any necessary permission from the holders of copyright for reproduction or publication of material in Special Collections. However, as a matter of good scholarly practice, we request that researchers acknowledge the University of Chicago Library’s Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center as the location of the original materials.

Publishing/Reproducing Material under Copyright

With a few exceptions described below, the University of Chicago does not hold the copyright to archives, manuscripts, and printed materials in Special Collections. This includes writings and correspondence of faculty members and other individuals, records of independent organizations and institutions, and media created by individuals without an official relationship to the University of Chicago. Because the University of Chicago does not hold the copyright to such materials, it cannot grant permission for reproduction or publication. Permission can be granted only by the holders of copyright in the materials. It is the researcher’s sole responsibility to identify the copyright holders in the materials and to obtain any necessary permission from these copyright holders that is required under United States copyright law.

Publishing/Reproducing Material with University of Chicago Copyright

In a few limited instances, the University of Chicago holds the copyright to certain types of materials in Special Collections. These materials include official University of Chicago administrative documents, printed materials issued by the University of Chicago, and photographs taken by University of Chicago photographers. Researchers seeking to reproduce or publish such materials from Special Collections should request permission from the University of Chicago Library.

Publishing/Reproducing Material in the Public Domain

The University of Chicago Library does not require researchers to request permission for use or publication of material from its collections when it is in the public domain (i.e., material for which the statutory term of copyright has expired or that is otherwise ineligible for copyright protection). Cornell University has created a table on Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States that provides further information on when copyrighted materials move into the public domain. As a matter of good scholarly practice, when public domain material is published it should be accompanied by the following credit line acknowledging the location of the original materials: Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.