Written permission must be obtained from the Smith College Special Collections for use of quotations beyond “fair use”; for publishing or reproducing documents, images, or audiovisual content; or for publication and/or broadcast of content in any form, including print, exhibitions, websites, film, video, audio, or any electronic media produced for public distribution. Permission must also be obtained from the copyright owner if Smith College Special Collections does not own copyright. We will provide whatever information we can on how to identify the copyright owner. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and obtain all copyright permissions. Note that even if Special Collections does not own copyright, or the material has passed into public domain, researchers must still obtain permission from Special Collections, as the owners of the physical property.

Content made available on our website may be downloaded or printed for purposes of private study, scholarship, and research without prior permission. If you are citing materials, please give proper attribution of the source. For more information, see Attribution.

To obtain permission to publish quotations, submit your request in writing to Smith College Special Collections. Your request should include the portion of your text in which the quote is used and the citation for the quote. There are no fees for publishing quotations or excerpts.

Images and Audiovisual Materials

Smith College Special Collections will grant permission to publish images and audiovisual materials from the collection when publishers assume all responsibility for clearing reproduction rights and for any infringement of the U.S. Copyright Code. Publishers must obtain written permission from a) the copyright owner, his or her heirs or assigns and b) from Smith College Special Collections, owner of the original materials, before publishing or otherwise reproducing copyrighted materials.

Publishers must complete a Smith College Special Collections Permission to Publish Contract, which will be prepared and sent after you place your order.

Permission is granted under the following conditions [from the Smith College Special Collection's Permission to Publish Contract]:

1. Permission is granted for one-time use only (unless specific exceptions are granted) and for the purpose listed in the "Permission to Publish Contract." Any subsequent use (including subsequent editions, paperback editions, foreign language editions, etc.), constitutes reuse and must be applied for separately in writing.
2. The credit line should be as supplied by Special Collections and must be included with each image.
3. A copy of all works in which the moving/still image or recording appears must be sent to Smith College Special Collections at the time of publication. If the work contains no more than two images or recordings from Smith College Special Collections at the time of publication, proofs or tearsheets of the title page and page(s) containing the picture(s) and acknowledgements are sufficient. With videos, films, filmstrips, and slide shows, the publisher should send still photographs or copies of the title frame and the frame(s) showing credits, or promotional materials.
4. Any and all alterations of the original image other than reduction and enlargement should be noted in the accompanying caption or label.
5. Reproductions must be purchased directly from the Smith College Special Collections and may not be obtained or reproduced in any fashion from outside published or unpublished sources (including the Smith College Special Collections website).
6. Publisher agrees not to permit others to reproduce the image or recording or any facsimile of it; not to reproduce the image on a dust jacket, end paper, advertisement, or any commercial use of a similar nature without permission; and not to mass-reproduce as unbound material unless specifically authorized by a letter of permission.
7. In authorizing the publication of an image or recording, Smith College Special Collections does not surrender its own right to publish it, or to grant permission to others to do so.
8. If permission is granted for the publishing party itself to photograph any visual material in the Smith College Special Collections, all resulting negatives must be given to the Smith College Special Collections.
9. Smith College Special Collections reserves the right to limit the number of images; to restrict the use or reproduction of rare or valuable material; to make special quotations on material involving unusual difficulty in copying; and to charge a higher copying fee than specified. Copies are not supplied to picture agencies except by special arrangement.
10. Any exceptions or additions to the above conditions will appear on, and be considered part of, the contract.