The University of North Georgia Special Collections and Archives will consider requests for reproductions of specific items from its collections subject to limitations imposed by U.S. Copyright Law, donor restrictions, curatorial approval, conservation and security concerns, and available resources, as stipulated in the following policy.
- The Copyright Act of 1976 (PL 94-553) provides statutory protection for all writings from the dates of their creation, whether or not they are formally copyrighted. Generally, the term of copyright is the life of the author plus 70 years. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission for the publication and commercial use of material not clearly in the public domain as penalties for violation of this statute are severe.
- Reproductions of published material without the permission of the copyright holder are restricted by federal law to excerpts (not the whole) of books, articles, essays, etc., and to scholarly, noncommercial use only.
- Written permission must be obtained from the owners of the copy/literary rights and from the University of North Georgia for any publication or commercial use of reproductions. The permission granted by the University of North Georgia Special Collections and Archives to use reproductions of material held in the collection does not constitute and may not be substituted for permission from the owner of the copy/literary rights, which it is the direct responsibility of the user to obtain.
- Deposit of reproductions in another repository is prohibited.
- Reproductions of extremely aged and fragile material will not be permitted. Reproductions will not be made from books, newspapers, and serials that can be found elsewhere in the library or from an online source.
- A One-time Use Permission Form and fee will be issued for the commercial use of a reproduction for a single, specified project. Further use of a reproduction for another project/purpose requires a new application for permission and payment of additional fees. A printed notice or complimentary copy of the exhibition, publication, film/television media in which the reproduction(s) will appear must be sent to Special Collections and Archives.