Q. Do I need permission to quote or publish from Special Collections material?

No, you do not need Princeton’s permission to publish material from Special Collections, but you may need permission from the copyright holder. 

While Princeton University Library owns the physical materials in its collections, we generally do not own the copyright to those materials. In addition, certain images or materials may also be protected by trademark, privacy rights, publicity rights, or other interests not owned or controlled by Princeton University. The user is solely responsible for determining whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for your intended use of the Library’s materials, and for obtaining all required permissions.

We do not charge any permission or usage fees for publication. Further information on the Library's permission and copyright policy can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citation Guidelines page on the Library's website. 

For help determining issues regarding fair use, the public domain and copyright best practices, please see the Stanford University Library guide for Copyright and Fair Use. You may also want to consult The WATCH File: Writers, Artists and their Copyright Holders, hosted by the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

For information on how to order reproductions, please see the Digitization Services section of our website.

Please contact Special Collections staff with questions or concerns via the Ask Special Collections Form.