DLS Tutorials

Public Domain Resources

Resources that are in the public domain are free to use. Be sure to confirm that resources you find are actually in the public domain and have no restrictions if you plan to use them in your projects. Some artists may ask you to credit them for using their free art. Always cite images that you use! Here are some places to look.

• Stanford Library's discussion of public domain: what it is and how it works

General Guides & Links

• University of Montana, Public Domain and Creative Commons: A Guide to Works You Can Use Freely – has links to places to look for all types of resources (written works, visual arts and images, movies and multimedia, music, maps)
• University of Washington, Open Resources – discussion of copyright and fair use, links to text, images, videos, music, and sound effects
• The Public Domain Review, Guide: Finding Public Domain Works Online – about public domain materials, how to find them, and links to resources

Academic Videos Online (AVON) and Kanopy may also have public domain works available to you. Learn about them in their tab of this guide. 

Public Domain vs. Fair Use

"Fair use" is a term that is often linked with "public domain," but they are not the same. Public domain materials may be used freely. Fair use refers to the practice of using materials that may be under copyright, but which have been transformed through some way. Stanford's library explains the two major fair use practices as commentary or criticism of a work, or parody of a work. Copyrighted materials may also be used in art as reference, reframing, or some process that renders the work identifiable, but significantly transformed. 

Here are a few short resources to further clarify the concept:

• Stanford Libraries: What is Fair Use?
• Copyright Alliance: What is Fair Use?
• U.S. Copyright Office Fair Use Index (scroll to the "About Fair Use" section)