Copyright Policies for Special Collections & Rare Books

Warning Concerning Copyright Restrictions

The copyright law of the United States (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," the user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of the copyright law.

Copyright Policies

Copyright compliance is the user’s responsibility. Special Collections does not hold copyright for most of the items in its collections. Staff will not advise on the copyright status of works produced after 1922.

When the condition of the material permits, Special Collections personnel will provide duplication services according to the University of Missouri’s Collected Rules and Regulations 100.010: Use of Copyrighted Materials in Teaching and Research.

Materials we will not copy

Special Collections staff will not make copies from the following collections under any circumstances.

Sanborn Maps. Digital copies of Sanborn Maps produced prior to 1923 are available online in the University of Missouri Digital Library. For later years, contact Environmental Data Resources, Inc. for copies.
Photocopied correspondence in the Mary Lago Collection. The majority of the correspondence collected by Lago is in the form of photocopies, and rights may reside with the original holding institution. It is the user’s responsibility to identify holding institutions and secure copies and permissions.

Special Collections staff will not make copies of the following types of works unless the patron has written authorization from the copyright holder.

Complete copies of works produced after 1922.
Unpublished works such as theses, dissertations, papers, class notes, and exams

More information on copyright law

Title 17, U.S. Code: Copyright Law of the United States
University of Missouri Collected Rules and Regulations #100.010: Use of Copyrighted Materials in Teaching and Research
University Libraries Policy #8: Copyright

See also the section on copyright law in our External Links page.

Requesting Copies or Scans

See Duplication Services and Image Use Policies.

Permission to Publish or Display

For more information, see Publishing Special Collections Materials.