Copyright Policies and Disclaimers

When providing access to materials held at the University Archives, copyright is of the utmost concern, particularly with digitized materials. Below are guidelines to determine copyright, and the statements to use within Archon upon determination of copyright permissions. If you have any questions about designation, contact Bill, Chris, or Ellen.

Copyright Guidelines

• Check donor files and accession records for permissions, rights, or restrictions.


• Assess rights and privacy issues at the appropriate level, most often at the collection or series level.


• Attempt to contact and get permission from the rights-holder.


• Include what you know about the rights status in the description of the collection (see below), including if the collection is in the public domain, if the institution holds the rights, or if the rights-holder has given the institution permission to place the digitized collection online.


• Note: copyright may be owned by a variety of entities outside UIUC, including the American Library Association and the Advertising Council. Modify the below copyright statements accordingly.

Copyright Statements for Images in Archon

• Copyright owned by UIUC: Copyright of this image is held by the University of Illinois. Please contact us if you would like to purchase a high-resolution copy of the image.


• Copyright holder unknown: The holder of copyright for this image is unknown. Please contact us if you would like to purchase a high-resolution copy of the image or if you can help us identify the copyright holder.


• Image is public domain: This image is in the public domain. Please contact us if you would like to purchase a high-resolution copy of the image.


• Copyright NOT held by UIUC and access is restricted: Copyright of this image is not owned by the University of Illinois. Please contact us for more information about this image or if you would like to request a copy for personal use.


• We do not own the photo, but access is NOT restricted: Copyright of this image is not owned by the University of Illinois and the image is provided here for personal use only. Any other use of this image is strictly prohibited without the express permission of the copyright holder. Please contact us for more information.

Copyright Statements for Electronic Records Linked in Archon

• Copyright owned by UIUC: Copyright of these records are held by the University of Illinois. Please contact us if you would like to use this information.


• Copyright holder unknown: The holder of copyright for these records is unknown. Please contact us if you would like to use these materials, or if you can help us identify the copyright holder.


• Records are in public domain: These records are in the public domain.


• Copyright NOT held by UIUC and access is restricted: Copyright of these records is not owned by the University of Illinois. Please contact us for more information about these materials or if you would like to request a copy for personal use.


• We do not own these records, but access is NOT restricted: Copyright of these records is not owned by the University of Illinois and they are provided for personal use only. Any other use of these records is strictly prohibited without the express permission of the copyright holder. Please contact us for more information.