Permissions and copyright

Do I need permission to publish something in the Divinity Library's special collections?

In many cases, the Divinty Library does not hold the copyright to materials in its collections and so cannot grant or deny permission to publish them, nor can the Library assume responsibility for determining their copyright status. Permission to examine materials or sale of a reproduction for scholarly research does not grant authorization to publish. It is your responsibility to determine whether materials are under copyright, to discover who owns the copyright, and to obtain permission to publish. Please contact the Special Collections Librarian if you have questions about the copyright status of materials. A useful set of guidelines can be viewed at the Beinecke Library's website: http://www.library.yale.edu/beinecke/brblresearch/copyright.html#otherpermission.

Regardless of the legal copyright status, the Divinity Library would like to receive notice of the publication of its materials. Applications to publish facsimile reproductions of items for which the Yale Divinity Library holds copyright should be made via the form found at http://www.library.yale.edu/div/spc/FACSAPPL.pdf; the application for publication of textual material is found at http://www.library.yale.edu/div/spc/MSPUBAPP.pdf. The Divinity Library reserves the right to assess a fee when materials are used in commercial productions or distributions.

How to cite materials

Even if the Divinity Library is not the copyright holder of materials, it is still necessary to cite the Library as the source of the original material if you publish facsimile reproductions or extensive quotations. Divinity Library collections should be cited as "Special Collections, Yale Divinity School Library. [name of specific collection]", e.g. "Special Collections, Yale Divinity School Library, John R. Mott Papers." It is very useful for future researchers if you also cite the Box and Folder numbers. In some cases, it is sufficient to use the credit "Special Collections, Yale Divinity School Library" with each item, as long as more detailed information is provided elsewhere.