Copyright and Reproduction
Copies of materials may only be made with permission of the archivist. No collection may be copied in its entirety. Photocopy restrictions apply to rare and fragile items, and original artwork and photographs. The Archives reserves the right to impose these and any other restrictions.
It is understood that copies of unpublished materials may be made for the sake of
convenience and are for private research use only. They may not be reproduced or transferred to any other person or institution
without written permission from the archivist. A color copier is located in the Archives
and requires use of a OneCard or patron copy card available at the circulation desk.
For more information on copy costs and procedures, see the library Print/Copy/Scan page.
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code), effective January 1, 1978, and extended by the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act of October 1998, provides copyright protection for all published as well as unpublished works. The terms of copyright are the same for both:
A work created on or after January 1, 1978, is protected by the law from the time of its creation until 70 years after the author’s death. For those unpublished works created before January 1, 1978, and not in the public domain or copyrighted, the law provides protection for the same life of the author-plus-70-years term prescribed for new works. However, all works in this category are guaranteed at least 25 years of statutory protection (from January 1, 1978). Thus, in no case will a copyright in a work expire before December 31, 2002, meaning that no unpublished material in this category will enter the public domain until January 1, 2003. For Pre-1978 works still in their original or renewal term of copyright, the total term is extended to 95 years from the date that copyright was originally secured."
Copyright, including the right to first publication, belongs to the creator of the material. Copyright descends to the heirs of the creator. Except in cases in which donors of the papers have given the rights to the public, permission to publish previously unpublished material must be obtained from the owner of the rights.
Researchers accept full legal responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright, as well as observing the laws of libel, invasion of privacy, and literary property rights when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in NCSA collections.
Permission to examine or photocopy materials does not constitute permission to publish that must be obtained in writing prior to publication from the archivist or the copyright owners. The Archives reserves the right to charge permission or use fees for commercial use of materials from its collections.