Public Speaking - Takahashi: Public Domain

This page further explores the public domain. Watch the video from the U.S. Copyright Office and view the related information and resources. To learn more, see Scholarship & Data Librarian, Jennifer Davis' complete guide.

Credit: U.S. Copyright Office 

Works first published in the United States before 1924 and any work published before 1964 that did not have its copyright renewed are in the public domain.

January 1, 2019 saw the first mass expiration of copyright in the U.S. in 21 years. Read more about it: 

• For the First Time in More Than 20 Years, Copyrighted Works Will Enter the Public Domain (Smithsonian Magazine, January 2019)
• Welcoming Back The US Public Domain (The Scholarly Kitchen, January 2019)           

Most U.S. government materials are also in the public domain. Exceptions include some government contract work and some state government work.

Works released into the public domain by the copyright owner. 

Public Domain Resources

New York Public Library Digital Collections:

• Provides over 600,000+ items
• Spans a wide range of historical eras, geography, and media, such as illuminated manuscripts, maps, photographs, posters, prints, rare illustrated books, videos, audio 
• Items are from the fields of applied sciences, fine and decorative arts, history, performing arts, and social sciences. You can search in a number of ways:
  • Items
  • Collections
  • Divisions

openphoto: a photo sharing platform created in 1998 by Michael Jastremski; contributors have offered their images free of charge under terms of Creative Commons licensing.

openclipart: a collection of clipart for unlimited use, even commercially. 

Wikimedia Commons: Free Media resources

• Drawings
• Maps
• Music
• Painting
• Photography
• Sound
• Video