Copyright and Permissions

Information for researchers

Manage requests (Aeon)

Planning your research visit

Reproduction policies

Copyright and permissions

Appraisals

Guide to Missions and World Christianity

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

In many cases, the Divinity 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 Special Collections if you have questions about the copyright status of materials.

Regardless of the legal copyright status, the Divinity Library would like to receive notice of the publication of its materials. Please submit the Facsimile Reproduction form for publication of photographs and facsimiles, and the Manuscript Publication form for publication of textual material. If we clearly hold copyright of the materials in question, this will be indicated on the form and it will be signed by a Library representative to grant permission for publication. Otherwise the form simply serves as notification. The Divinity Library reserves the right to assess a use 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, Divinity Library, Yale University, [name of specific collection]", e.g. "Special Collections, Divinity Library, Yale University, 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.