ASU Library facilitates the use of our archival, manuscript and specialized materials holdings in a variety of media and settings, including scholarly and community publications, websites and exhibits, public art installations and displays in commercial establishments. We help you make informed selections from our extensive collections while respecting the rights of the creators who made the materials we have collected and preserved. We promptly provide duplication services, intellectual property information and accurate citations.
Copyright clearances are always the responsibility of the user, but if you require a formal letter of permission you can tell us about your intended product and which materials you want to use by completing our application to request rights or permission. We’ll promptly respond with a letter:
- describing our knowledge of the copyright status of the selected materials
- granting permissions when rights for our materials are retained by the university
- providing the recommended citation for display in your product
Tips and advisories
- Obtaining permission to use materials from the copyright owner is recommended and may be required by law, depending on your use of the materials.
- Direct quotations of less than 500 words, and/or presentation of copyrighted materials in class lectures, student assignments and professional conferences is often considered fair use and may not require permission to publish.
- Uses of materials we collect from others (including our students and faculty) may be restricted by university policy, state and federal laws or prior agreements with owners of intellectual property.
- For more information or to request duplication services, please contact Ask an Archivist.
Citations
Accurate citations respect the rights of creating individuals and organizations, and they may be required by law, by ASU policy or by agreement with our donors. They facilitate future research by enabling subsequent researchers to find the sources you consulted in your work. Publication, presentation, exhibition or authorized redistribution of reproductions of our materials should be accompanied by an accurate citation. Cutline citations (e.g. Greater Arizona Collection, Distinctive Collections, Arizona State University Library) may be found in our item descriptions and/or provided in response to publication and creative services requests, and they should be used in close proximity to presentations of our materials in web pages, multimedia, print or television. Materials appearing in scholarly work must be accompanied by full citations compliant with the style guide commonly used in your discipline. Presentation of item call numbers in scholarly citations facilitates future research by others.