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Policies & Forms

Rights & Permissions

Special Collections reproduces material upon request to the extent that physical condition and rights permit.  The department does not retain intellectual rights or copyright to a majority of its collections.  It is the sole responsibility of the user to investigate the rights status of any given work and to seek and obtain permissions.  

  • All requests require completion of a registration form. 
  • Requests for duplication may be denied because of the fragility of the material, potential damage to the item, restrictions imposed by the donor, or other factors.
  • Further dissemination of works including but not limited to the transfer of reproductions to another library or repository is prohibited.
  • Please note that no more than 10% of a collection will be reproduced. For large collections, a maximum of 300 copies will be reproduced.
  • The department is not able to fulfill reproduction requests for sound recordings, videos, and microforms. These materials, with advance notice, can be consulted on-site for research purposes. 
  • Researchers who plan the eventual publication of their work should inquire as to restrictions on publication before beginning their research.
  • Where Stony Brook University does not hold copyright interests, permission to publish must be obtained from the holder of the copyright interests. 
  • Stony Brook University Libraries adhere to the Copyright Law of the United States and reserve the right to refuse or accept a copying or scanning request. 
  • A photocopy or digital image may not be further reproduced. Supplying a copy or digital image is not an authorization to publish.
  • The Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code) governs the making of photocopies or reproductions of copyrighted materials.
  • 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," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse a copying order, if in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve  violation of copyright law. 
  • In granting permission to publish materials, the University does not surrender its own right thereafter to publish any of the materials from its collections, nor does it grant permission for more than one-time use.  

Citation & Credit Line

When referencing documents and collections, please cite the department. 
"Name of collection, box and folder number (if applicable), Special Collections and University Archives, Stony Brook University Libraries." 

Additional Sources