Public Domain means that the material is no longer under copyright and can be used freely by the public. Please note that many of the websites listed here make a distinction between public domain and flexible copyright. Many newer websites are posting material under a Creative Commons License, and may carry restrictions such as non-commercial use only, or require a note of attribution.
For a guide about what constitutes public domain, see Cornell's Public Domain page .
How do you find who owns the copyright to a work? Here are a few websites to check. Remember, researching copyright can be time consuming. And if you don't find the copyright owner there is no guarantee that the material is copyright-free.
Copyright Office Public Catalog (1978-)
Selected Copyright Renewal Registrations (1950-1977)
Copyright Renewal Database (U.S. Books from 1923-1963)
Whether you're writing a paper, preparing a presentation, or creating a web page, you should cite image information to the best of your ability. Here are a few sample websites which show different styles for image citation:
Citing vs. Attribution (from University of California, Irvine)
Attribution Best Practices
Citing Images: (Cornell University Libraries)
Use the tabs at the left to browse through sources of public domain or creative commons images, audio, video and scores.