Copyright, Reproduction & Use Policies

United States Copyright Law (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. Lafayette College Libraries reserves the right to refuse to accept a reproduction order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve a violation of U.S. copyright law.

Users may freely reproduce from collections, provided the intended purpose is for use in teaching, research, or private study, and provided that proper attribution to the Lafayette College Special Collections & College Archives as the source of the materials is made (see “Citing Materials Used” below).

Users may reproduce materials from collections for electronic or print publication, exhibition, broadcast, or other public uses, as long as they respect copyright restrictions and include appropriate citations. For information on attaining high resolution images of content held in Lafayette College Special Collections & College Archives please contact archives@lafayette.edu

Any item reproduced from the Lafayette College Special Collections & College Archives’ collections must be properly cited and included in the credits, whether for educational use, publication, or broadcast.

Citations should appear as:
Special Collections & College Archives, Skillman Library, Lafayette College

See further information on citing our collections in MLA style and Chicago style.

Although some of the material in the collections of the Special Collections & College Archives is in the public domain and not subject to U.S. and international copyright restrictions, other items may still be under copyright by Lafayette College or other parties, including authors, publishers, or vendors. The absence of copyright information for individual items does not indicate that the work is necessarily in the public domain. It is the sole responsibility of the user to identify and satisfy any claims of copyright before making use of reproductions beyond the conditions of “fair use,” as described by United States Copyright Law (Title 17, United States Code).

Lafayette College Special Collections & College Archives grants permission for the use of all collection materials clearly under copyright by Lafayette College. Lafayette College Special Collections & College Archives is committed to providing full credit to copyright holders with works in our collections, but we are not always aware of who they are. Users of these collections agree to hold Lafayette College, its officers, and its employees harmless against all claims and actions arising out of the use of reproductions provided by the Lafayette College Special Collections & College Archives.

Due to staffing constraints, requests for scanning are limited to 10 pages per researcher. In consultation with our archivists, researchers may photograph collections in our reading room.