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Collection Guide: YIVO Digital Assets

A comprehensive overview of the digital assets of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

Grand opening of the new "The Day-Jewish Morning Journal" office, New York City, 1930s. RG 120 (US 768). YIVO

Requesting Digital Reproductions

Ordering reference photographs:

You can request low-resolution reference photographs of archives and library material using this form. The first hour of photography, which typically covers between 300 and 400 pages, is complimentary. Further photography is available at a rate of $35 per hour. Please email reference@yivo.org with any questions or concerns about reference photographs.

Ordering high-resolution scans: 

  1. Download the YIVO reproductions price list/access form: https://yivo.org/cimages/yivo_reproduction_request_-_june_2017.pdf
  2. Fill out and email form to photofilm@yivo.cjh.org. Include as much information (e.g., catalog numbers, screenshots, book page numbers) as possible with your order, attaching additional pages as necessary. Please allow 1-2 weeks for a response.
  3. You will be sent an invoice for your order and payment must be received before it is processed.

Ordering audio materials: Please contact the YIVO Sound Archives at soundarchives@yivo.cjh.org for more information.

Ordering copies of film and video materials: Please contact the Photo and Film Archive at photofilm@yivo.cjh.org for more information.

Rights and Permissions of Use

YIVO strives to support scholarship and other endeavors related to Eastern European Jewish history and Yiddish studies. We make our collections as accessible as possible to the general public. Permission to reproduce documents, photographs, films, and sound recordings, in whole or in part, is granted on a case-by-case basis depending on the condition of the original and on the provisions of United States copyright law and other laws governing the reproduction of documents.

If you are requesting digitized material for publication, please note the following general reproduction guidelines. For inquiries about individual requests, we urge you to reach out to photofilm@yivo.cjh.org.

For images or documents used in publications or exhibitions or online, a credit line to the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is required.

 

COPYRIGHT PERMISSIONS

YIVO does not own copyright on most of its materials and thus cannot grant permissions. It is the responsibility of the user to determine if material is copyrighted and pursue permissions through the appropriate venues. YIVO will not be liable should a user fail to secure appropriate reproduction permissions.

FAIR USE AND MATERIALS IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN

To reiterate, it is the responsibility of the user to determine if materials full under fair use or within the public domain. However, these resources may help determine if materials fall under those categories.

Fair Use

Fair use applies in cases where limited portions are copyrighted material can be reproduced legally. The case that most often applies to YIVO researchers is “commentary and criticism.” For more information, check out this resource.

Public Domain

Materials in the public domain are not subject to copyright. This chart can help you assess whether an item may be in the public domain.

PRIVACY AND PUBLICITY LAWS

Some of the materials in the YIVO Archives contain sensitive personal information. Please note that privacy and publicity laws are separate from copyright laws, and vary by state. If you reproduce material that includes identifying information and likeness, you may need to secure consent from the individual or the individual’s estate, regardless of your rights to reproduce under copyright law.