Guide
Public Domain Images for YouTube: Where to Find Them
Not every archive photo marked free to use is public domain. See what The Met, the Library of Congress, the National Archives and Internet Archive allow. Each archive marks rights item by item, so the check always happens on the item's own page.
The short answer
- Photos made by U.S. federal agencies are a good place to start. The National Archives: “These works are not eligible for copyright protection, in the United States, and are treated as though they are in the public domain.”
- The Met marks its Open Access images with an OA icon; its Open Access page puts it “at the lower left of the image.”
- No archive checks the rights for you. Read the rights note on each item, not the archive's home page, and keep a note of what it said.
- A license lets you use the image. Whether a video earns money is YouTube's decision; the Wikimedia Commons guide covers non-commercial licenses and YouTube monetization.
Archives at a glance
| Archive | What you can use | Where to check | Credit | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Met | Open Access images of public domain artworks | The OA icon at the lower left of the image | No condition stated: CC0, “free and unrestricted use” | Only images marked Open Access; the data also lists works under copyright |
| Library of Congress | Depends on each item's rights note | The rights note in the catalog record | Requested as a courtesy | No known restrictions is not the same as public domain |
| National Archives (NARA) | Photos that are U.S. government works | The Use Restriction(s) field of the catalog record | Encouraged | Some records, especially special media, can be restricted |
| Internet Archive | Whatever the uploader's license allows | The license or rights note on the item's page | As the license requires | Rights information comes from uploaders; many items are non-commercial |
The Met Open Access
The Met's Open Access page: its Open Access Initiative “makes images of public-domain artworks and basic data on all accessioned works in its collection available for unrestricted use under Creative Commons Zero (CC0).” Under the CC0 deed you can use the work “even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.”
How to check an item. Open the work in The Met's Online Collection and look at the image. The same page: Open Access images have an OA icon, “at the lower left of the image.”
For bulk work, The Met's API documentation describes the same images as “high resolution images (JPEG format) that are in the public domain.”
Watch out for. Not every work has the icon. The Met's data also covers works that are not free: the datasets “also include identifying data for artworks under copyright.” No icon means no Open Access image.
Library of Congress
A good place to start is the Library's Free to Use and Reuse page: “More than 100 sets of rights-free images are ready for you to explore and add to your own projects.”
How to check an item. Read the rights note in the item's catalog record. The Library's rights guide explains this wording: “No known restrictions on publication means that the Library is unaware of any restrictions on the use of the image.”
Watch out for. That phrase is not a public domain label. The same guide: “These facts do not mean the image is in the public domain, but do indicate that no evidence has been found to show that restrictions apply.”
- A note that reads “Rights status not evaluated” means “the Library has not received or gathered information pertaining to the rights status of the image…” You have to research it yourself.
- Some collections came with conditions from the donor. “Sometimes the donor’s restriction is on a certain type of use.”
- The guidance is about U.S. law. “Use outside the U.S. is governed by the laws of the country in which the material is being used.”
- Copyright is not the only question: “Users need to be aware of other types of rights that can apply, including privacy rights, publicity rights, licensing and trademarks.”
Credit. The Library does not sell permission: “it does not charge permission fees for use of material from the collections.” It does ask for a credit: “the Library requests the courtesy of a credit line.” A short example from the guide: Courtesy of the Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-13459, with the item's own reproduction number.
National Archives (NARA)
The National Archives holds the records of the U.S. federal government. The National Archives FAQ: “The vast majority of the digital images in the National Archives Catalog are in the public domain.”
How to check an item. Open the record in the National Archives Catalog and read the Use Restriction(s) field. The same FAQ points there for the few images that remain copyrighted.
Watch out for. Not everything in the holdings is a government work. Copyright and Permissions: “A small percentage of photographs in our holdings are or may be subject to copyright restrictions.” The same page adds that “not all records in the holdings of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) are in the public domain – especially NARA’s Special Media holdings.” And “NARA does not confirm copyright status for any items”, so the decision stays with you.
Credit. Not required for public domain records, but “Proper credit lines are encouraged in the interest of good documentation.”
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive hosts what people upload, so each item's rights are whatever its uploader stated. Its rights help page: “The person who uploads an item often provides information related to use rights”, in the description or as a Creative Commons license.
How to check an item. Look for a license on the item's page. A Creative Commons license is “viewable via a Creative Commons logo on the details page”. If there is no license and no rights note, treat the item as not cleared.
Watch out for. Non-commercial terms are common. The same page: most works on the Archive are available only for “non commercial use” and “with attribution.” It also says the Archive “does not make guarantees as to the copyright status of items on archive.org…” An upload is not a permission.
Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons hosts many public domain photos too, each with a license box on its file page. How to read that box and write the credit is in the companion guide: Can You Use Wikimedia Commons Images on YouTube?
Vidcapp, which wrote these guides, turns a script into a narrated video built from real archive photos; the Commons guide shows how it credits them.
Sources
- The Met: Open Access at The Met
- The Met: Open Access (GitHub repository)
- The Met: Collection API documentation
- Creative Commons: CC0 1.0 deed
- Library of Congress: Free to Use and Reuse
- Library of Congress: Assessing the risk of using a Prints & Photographs image
- National Archives: Copyright and Permissions (still pictures)
- National Archives: Frequently Asked Questions
- Internet Archive Help Center: Rights