Reproducing Photographs
Photograph Collections Research Guide
Materials in the Church History Catalog are subject to differing restrictions on the rights to use, copy, publish, or distribute them. It is the researcher’s obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions when using, copying, publishing, or otherwise distributing materials found in the Library’s collections. Here is some helpful information for using photographs.
Photos that have been scanned and posted in the Church History Catalog and have a “No Known Copyright holder” determination are available for download, and patrons do not need to seek permission to use them. Nineteenth-century photographs are in the public domain and would fall into this category.
If copyright is held by the Church (usually designated with “IRI”), you can seek permission by submitting a request at permissions.ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Once permission has been granted in the form of a letter, the patron submits the letter to the library, and a copy can be supplied to the patron.
If copyright of an image is held by another rights holder (as with Deseret News photos and postcards), the patron will need to seek the permission of that rights holder.
Ask Us any questions regarding copyright or usage.