HOLLIS ClassicHoughton Library
Houghton Library Reproductions and Permissions
Reproductions
When the condition and format of the material allow, services ranging from electroprints (photocopies on archival paper) to custom photography of Houghton holdings are available via the Imaging Services Department in Widener Library. Orders may be placed only through a Houghton Public Services staff member who will determine whether the material is suitable for duplication, and if so, provide a cost estimate. To request reproductions, contact Public Services via e-mail. Reproductions of Harvard College Library materials are subject to Licensing and Copyright restrictions. For prices, please see the Imaging Services Photocopying and Microfilm Reproduction Price List.
Rare books: All rare books must be reviewed for condition before estimates can be given. If a large portion of the book is requested, the entire item must be filmed.
Manuscripts: Only fully cataloged manuscripts can be considered for duplication and only if the condition of the material permits safe handling and no donor restrictions apply. For more detailed information on copying manuscripts, read Houghton's Photoduplication Policies.
Printing and Graphic Arts: Books, manuscripts, and art which are part of the Printing and Graphic Arts collection (call number Typ) may not be photocopied, only photographed or filmed. These also require curatorial approval before copies can be made.
All orders require payment in advance. All orders for copies of manuscripts must be accompanied by a Photoduplication Request Form. Copies or film can be picked up in person at the Imaging Services Office, Room 90 in Widener Library, or mailed for an additional fee.
Photoduplication Policies
Only fully cataloged manuscripts (for collections, those that bear individual folder labels) can be considered for duplication. Categories of manuscripts not eligible for duplication include (but are not limited to) MS Accessions, MS Storage, and Arranged Manuscripts. Fully cataloged collections will be eligible for copying only if the condition of the material permits safe handling. Reading Room staff will determine whether manuscript material is suitable for duplication; the presence of any fragile item within a folder or case renders the manuscripts within that folder or case ineligible for copying of any kind. Readers may request either electroprints (photocopies on archival paper) or positive microfilm, according to the details listed below. Reading Room staff will provide instruction in marking manuscripts for copying, a cost estimate (which will include the copying of folder labels), the order form, and a receipt as needed.
Readers should be aware that certain manuscripts carry restrictions placed by donors on access and/or copying. Staff members will assist readers in seeking permission when necessary.
All orders require payment in advance; copies or film can be picked up in person at the Imaging Services Office, Room 90 in Widener Library, or they can be mailed for an additional fee.
Photocopies/Electroprints
Readers may request up to five sheets per folder (if the request is for more than five sheets, the entire folder must be microfilmed). Electroprint orders take from one week to 10 days' production time.
Microfilm
Only entire folders, (not individual sheets within folders) can be microfilmed. If a majority of folders within a box is requested, or most of a codex, the entire item must be filmed. Cost estimates for microfilm take at least one week to prepare; production time for these orders is three to five weeks after receipt of payment.
Existing Microfilm
If the library holds negative microfilm of an item or collection, readers may obtain electroprints or positive film of the entire reel. Parts of reels are not available. If the library holds positive microfilm, readers may use that film in the Reading Room to produce paper copies on the reader-printer machine. Reading Room staff will inform readers of the existence of either negative or positive film.
Permission to Quote or Reproduce Houghton Library Materials
- Overview
- Copyright Information
- Contacting the Library
- Permissions Quick Reference
- Citation Credit Lines
Overview
Houghton Library does not require that researchers request permission from Houghton to quote from material or publish images of published material (books, woodcuts, engravings) or from most unpublished material (manuscripts, letters, and drawings) in its collections, nor does it charge fees for such activities. Exceptions are listed under Contacting the Library. When a researcher quotes from material from the collections, Houghton requires citation as described in the Citation Credit Lines section.
Fees are charged for obtaining images of the collections, and they can be found on the Reproduction Services and Price Lists for Library Patrons page. Fees for obtaining audio transfers can be found in the Permissions Information section of the Woodberry Poetry Room web site.
Copyright Information
The vast majority of Houghton materials is either in the public domain or under copyrights not controlled by Houghton. If researchers wish to quote, publish, perform, reproduce or otherwise make any use of an item in Houghton’s collections that requires permission from the copyright holder(s) of the item, it is the researcher’s responsibility to obtain all such permissions.
Two helpful resources in this regard are the Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States, published by the Cornell Copyright Information Center, and the WATCH File (Writers, Artists, and Their Copyright Holders) maintained by the Harry Ransom Center and the University of Reading. Permission to examine materials or sale of photo-duplication for scholarly research is not authorization to publish.
Contacting the Library
You do not need to contact the Library for permission if you are quoting excerpts from unpublished material, such as a manuscript or letter. You do need to contact the Library for permission if you are preparing an article or an edition that incorporates a substantial portion of a manuscript, or that relies upon a Houghton manuscript for its text; or if you are writing a biography or critical work which is largely based on Houghton manuscript or archival collections. The Library captures such information in its curatorial files to help others using the same collections.
A researcher must also seek permission if the unpublished material is on deposit (this should be noted in the HOLLIS record or the finding aid); if the Library owns or administers the copyright; or if it has a stewardship agreement in place that requires the Library to report on such use. The list that follows includes the major collections for which this condition applies, but it is not exhaustive. If in doubt, please contact Permissions Coordinator in Houghton Public Services via e-mail.
Permission is required for the following collections. Please use the Houghton Permission Form.
| Modern Books and Manuscripts | Harvard Theatre Collection |
|---|---|
|
|
*There can be no reproduction or publication of material in these collections without advance permission from the copyright holder.
Permissions Quick Reference
Permission is NOT required to quote or reproduce:
- Printed books, whether quotations or images (except if you are creating facsimile editions)
- Quotations from manuscripts, letters, or typescripts
- Published or unpublished material used in conjunction with an oral presentation
Permission IS required to quote or reproduce:
- Publications of the Harvard College Library, Houghton Library (including Harvard Library Bulletin), and the Harvard Theatre Collection
- Material from the Library’s administrative files
- Reproductions of post-1800 unpublished visual materials, such as drawings, paintings, and photographs, for which Houghton owns or administers the copyright as detailed on the above lists
- Material on deposit
- Collections for which stewardship agreements are in place, as detailed on the above lists
Permission IS also required to:
- Create facsimile editions of Houghton books or manuscripts of any date
- Create articles, editorial projects, biographical and critical works that incorporate a substantial portion of a manuscript
Citation Credit Lines
Houghton Library requires researchers to cite the collection name and/or the call number of a collection when quoting from or reproducing an item in library collections. Images taken from Houghton collections should be captioned with information about the original source, and quotations should be footnoted. In addition to traditional bibliographical citation, the library requires the following credit line:
[call number of item], Houghton Library, Harvard University
Manuscript Example: MS Am 1452 (6), Houghton Library, Harvard University
Book Example: Typ 515.00.532, Houghton Library, Harvard University
Full Book Example: Albert Flamen, Devises et emblesmes d’amour moralisez. Paris 1672, Typ 615.72.396, Houghton Library, Harvard University
Full Manuscript Example: Edward Lear Landscape Drawings, San Giovanni, MS Typ 55.26 (107), Houghton Library, Harvard University
Full Drawings Example: H. H. Richardson Architectural Drawings, Trinity Church, façade with apsidal ends, MS Typ 1096 (TC D213), Houghton Library, Harvard University
Other collections that require their own credit line:
Harry Elkins Widener Collection
[call number of item], Harry Elkins Widener Collection, Harvard University
Example: HEW 4.9.12, Harry Elkins Widener Collection, Harvard University
Harvard Theatre Collection
[call number of item], Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard University
Book Example: TS 8502.88 1765, Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard University
Manuscript Example: bMS Thr 411 (6), Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard University
Series Example: TCS Photos 4 (Barrymore, Lionel), Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard University
Theodore Roosevelt Collection
[call number of item], Theodore Roosevelt Collection
Manuscript Example: bMS Am 1785.7 (44), Theodore Roosevelt Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard University
Visual Materials Example: 560.14-056, Theodore Roosevelt Collection, Harvard College Library
Woodberry Poetry Room
[call number of item], Woodberry Poetry Room, Houghton Library, Harvard University
Audio Recording Example: Plath, Sylvia. Poetry Reading, 13 June 1958, sponsored by Woodberry Poetry Room, Houghton Library, Harvard University
Please contact Houghton Public Services via e-mail for assistance with citation information and the call number for a source of a quotation or an image.
