Copyright
Copyright Friendly Resources
In our information-rich environment it can be a still be a struggle to find materials to include in coursework and assignments. There are some materials that have agreements or licenses that can either reduce of remove copyright limitations.
Creative Commons (CC)
There is a lot of information online that has a Creative Commons (CC) license. You can search by license here, but be aware a Creative Commons (CC) license is just that: a license. You need to abide by all terms and conditions outlined in the license. Find out more about Creative Commons Licensing here.
A great video on Creative Commons and Copyright is available here.
Library Databases
The library has many online resources that can be used for teaching and studying, such as:
- hundreds of thousands of quality articles from journals and magazines. Use of these articles requires persistent linking.
- Thousands of educational films from our Films on Demand database
Open Access
Just like Creative Commons, these are materials that copyright owners have made freely available online and allow you to use them under certain conditions (Many of them using a Creative Commons license or some other type of open access license). Open Access materials include journal articles, research data, software code, images and much, much more.
Public Domain
Typically copyright only lasts for 70 years after the owner has died. It's why we can copy Shakespeare's and Mozart's works without having to request permission.
Content Sites
- Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) This link opens in a new windowOver 1200 academic, peer-reviewed books from over 30 publishers representing a variety of different disciplines.
- ChemWikiThe ChemWiki is a collaborative approach toward chemistry education where an Open Access textbook environment is constantly being written and re-written by students and faculty members resulting in a free Chemistry textbook to supplant conventional paper-based books.
- Hathi Trust Digital LibraryUsers are encouraged to cite and link to digital content and are free to do so without asking for permission. Licenses or other contractual terms may restrict further distribution or other uses. Consult the "Access and Use" statement included in the PageTurner view for each item, for volume-specific information.
- Planet eBookMany titles in classic literature, a few in poetry and non-fiction, in eBook format, including Frankenstein, Sense and Sensibility, Dracula.
- Project GutenbergFree full-text access to thousands of electronic books on a wide variety of topics. Includes books in English as well as many different foreign languages.
- StatSoft Electronic Statistics Textbook OnlineStatSoft has freely provided the Electronic Statistics Textbook as a public service since 1995.
To understand how to use images in classroom or in your assignments, see our Images page.
- Burning WellFree public domain images and photos.
- ClipArt EtcA friendly license allows teachers and students to use up to 50 educational clipart items in a single, non-commercial project without further permission.
- Environmental Education Station - Public Domain Photo Library These photos are royalty free and may be used without charge for any educational purpose with attribution to David Anderson, Centre College (unless otherwise noted).
- FlickrEnter a search term in the top right search box, once your initial search runs an "advanced search" option will appear, select this. Refine your search using the Creative Commons information on the form.
- Forestry ImagesForestry and related Insect images, free to use for educational purposes provided appropriate credit is given and end product is distributed at no cost.
- FreeImagesA link (or textural credit in non-web applications) to this site is required where an image is used. Acceptable credits include 'image: www.freeimages.co.uk' or a hyperlink to the URL 'http://www.freeimages.co.uk'.
- Google ImagesEnter your search term, once your search runs, select "Search Tools" and then select "User Rights". Select the labeling category based on how you would like to use the image and your search will be refined.
- Images CanadaImages Canada provides central search access to the thousands of images held on the websites of participating Canadian cultural institutions. See copyright tab for educational use outlines and instructions for crediting works.
- Library and Archives Canada - Archives Image Search Archives Image Search is a tool that allows you to search for digital images of archival material in the holdings of Library and Archives Canada (LAC). A thumbnail for each search result helps you identify records of interest quickly and efficiently.
- Library of Congress - Prints & Photographs Online CatalogMost of the images in these holdings are in public domain unless specifically cataloged otherwise.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Open Access Collection Over 375,000 images of public-domain works from the Met Collection.
- morgueFileThis morgueFile contains free high resolution digital stock photography for either corporate or public use.
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Photo Library - SearchMost NOAA photos and slides are in the public domain and CANNOT be copyrighted.
There is no fee for downloading any images on the NOAA Photo Library. Educational use is encouraged as the primary goal of the NOAA Photo Library is to help all understand our oceans and atmosphere so as to be better stewards of our environment for future generations. - Pics4LearningFree, open source photo sharing for teachers and students (biomes, animals, art, food, world religions, fractals, holidays, space, landforms, geography, Native Americans, colonial America, Civil War, ancient civilizations, mythology, presidents, World War I, World War II)
- PikWizardSome high quality photos available for use - look for those with Creative Commons licence 0 for ease of use.
- PixabayOn Pixabay you may find and share images free of copyrights. All pictures are published under Creative Commons public domain deed CC0.
- Public Domain ImagesThis site collects high quality public domain images.
- UnsplashAll photos published on Unsplash are licensed under Creative Commons Zero which means you can copy, modify, distribute and use the photos for free, including commercial purposes, without asking permission from or providing attribution to the photographer or Unsplash.
- Web Gallery of ArtThe Web Gallery of Art is intended to be a free resource of art history primarily for students and teachers.
- Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) This link opens in a new windowDOAJ is a community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals. DOAJ is independent. All funding is via donations, 40% of which comes from sponsors and 60% from members and publisher members. All DOAJ services are free of charge including being indexed in DOAJ. All data is freely available.
- Public Library of ScienceMedical literature available freely online.
- Oxford JournalsBoth full open access journals as well as optional open access journals. Optional open access journals have the permissions linked right to the article and may require a fee depending on the article and the use of the article. The majority of journals are scientifically based with some subject coverage on history and law.
- Digital Commons--Peer Reviewed Journals ListLeading hosted open access institutional repository for hundreds of colleges and universities. Check out their list of multidisciplinary open access peer-reviewed journals.
- BMJ Open (British Medical Journal)Online open access general medical journal that is dedicated to publishing medical research from all disciplines and therapeutic areas.
- BioMed Central - Open Access JournalsJournals include a wide range of topics, biology, health, nursing, biotechnology, and palliative care to name a few.
Always attempt to find legally attainable music directly from the creator first. Music purchased through electronic means may carry terms and conditions prohibiting use outside of personal use. For more information on copyright law and the use of music, see our Music and Sound page.
- Audio MicroRoyalty free music and sound effects.
- ccMixterccMixter is a community music site featuring remixes licensed under Creative Commons where you can listen to, sample, mash-up, or interact with music in whatever way you want.
- Creative Commons - Content DirectoriesDirectory of sites that use Creative Commons licensing; organized by media type: audio, video, image, text, other.
- Freeplay MusicFreeplay Music's library contains a a wide variety of high-quality music.
- Internet ArchiveDigital library of free books, movies, music and access to the wayback machine.
- JamendoRoyalty free music.
- UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive This searchable database features all types of recordings made from the late 1800s to early 1900s, including popular songs, vaudeville acts, classical and operatic music, comedic monologues, ethnic and foreign recordings, speeches and readings.
To understand how to use videos and streaming video in classroom or in your assignments, see our Films, News, Tv and YouTube our page.
- Academic Earth College CoursesAcademic Earth curates an unparalleled collection of free online courses from the world’s top universities. With over 750 online courses and over 8500 instructional videos the collection continues to grow.
- CBC Digital ArchivesThe goal of the video archives is to have two copies of every program ever broadcast on the CBC - one "untouchable" master and one available to CBC staff to copy for reuse, rebroadcast or licensing to outside clients such as filmmakers and foreign networks.
- Creative Commons - Content DirectoriesDirectory of sites that use Creative Commons licensing; organized by media type: audio, video, image, text, other.
- Harvard Open Learning Initiative - Course VideosOpen Harvard lecture videos on a variety of topics.
- Internet ArchiveDigital library of free books, movies, music and access to the wayback machine.
- MovieClipsFree, legal movie clips for mashup or sharing.
- Open CultureFind a variety of open and free sources for educational media here, including: audio books, MOOCs, movies, language lessons, eBooks, and more.
- MERLOT IIMERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching) is a free and open peer reviewed collection of online teaching and learning materials and faculty-developed services contributed and used by an international education community.
- MIT Open Course WareFree course materials from MIT; open and available to everyone. Check FAQ's on Intellectual Property and Fair Use for terms of use details.
- National Film Board of CanadaFilms from the National Film Board of Canada. Only some videos are available online without registration.
- National Geographic - Video HomeUsers must adhere to the "Educational Use of Content" outlined under "Terms of Service".
- Carnegie Mellon University - Open Learning InitiativeOpen and free multidisciplinary course materials.
- Creative Commons - Content DirectoriesDirectory of sites that use Creative Commons licensing; organized by media type: audio, video, image, text, other.
- Creative Commons - EducationList of open education projects that contain materials with Creative Commons licensing.
- Internet ArchiveDigital library of free books, movies, music and access to the wayback machine.
- Internet Archive - Open Educational ResourcesCollection of open peer-reviewed online learning materials for higher education.
- Internet Shakespeare Editions (ISE)The mission of the ISE is to inspire a love of Shakespeare's works in a world-wide audience by delivering open-access, peer-reviewed Shakespeare resources with the highest standards of scholarship, design, and usability.
- Khan AcademyKhan Academy's resources and materials are available to the public free of charge.
- MERLOT IIMERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching) is a free and open peer reviewed collection of online teaching and learning materials and faculty-developed services contributed and used by an international education community.
- MIT Open Course WareFree course materials from MIT; open and available to everyone. Check FAQ's on Intellectual Property and Fair Use for terms of use details.
- OECD iLibraryContains OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) content such as the OECD Factbook series, OECD Working Papers, OECD in Figures, OECD Key Tables, and more.
- OER CommonsOpen Educational Resources holds over 30 000 resources that are free to use with Creative Commons licensing (check terms of use for each resource before making modifications).
- Open CultureFind a variety of open and free sources for educational media here, including: audio books, MOOCs, movies, language lessons, eBooks, and more.
- OpenDoarThe Directory of Open Access Repositories, is an authoritative directory of academic open access repositories. Each OpenDOAR repository has been visited by project staff to check the information that is recorded here. This in-depth approach does not rely on automated analysis and gives a quality-controlled list of repositories.
- Open Professionals Education NetworkOPEN is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and offers free services aligned with the DOL’s grant requirements, designed to support your project.
- Open Yale CoursesOpen Yale Courses provides free and open access to a selection of introductory courses taught by distinguished teachers and scholars at Yale University.
- P2PU (Peer to Peer University)The Peer 2 Peer University is a grassroots open education project that organizes learning outside of institutional walls and gives learners recognition for their achievements. P2PU creates a model for lifelong learning alongside traditional formal higher education. Leveraging the internet and educational materials openly available online, P2PU enables high-quality low-cost education opportunities.
- WikiEducatorThis is an evolving community intended for the collaborative planning of education projects linked with the development of free content; development of free content on Wikieducator for e-learning work on building open education resources (OERs) on how to create OERs, and networking on funding proposals developed as free content.
- WikiversityProject devoted to learning resources, learning projects, and research for use in all levels, types, and styles of education from pre-school to university, including professional training and informal learning.
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