Reproductions and Access

Access to Restricted Content


Materials in the TriCollege Libraries Digital Collections may be restricted due to copyright status (see below), donor request, or privacy issues. While some restrictions are permanent, others will be lifted after a certain amount of time has passed. Restricted materials may be available only to those associated with the specific college holding those materials, while others may be available to anyone in the TriCo. Records with access restrictions but visible metadata (description) will have a lock icon in place of an image thumbnail in search results and collection lists:



Records with access restrictions are identified as being restricted in the “Access Restrictions” field in the metadata record. When anonymous users click on a restricted record, they will see the following message:



Some content may be completely restricted to anonymous users, so that records and metadata (description) are only visible when logged in. To access restricted content, log in with your Bryn Mawr, Haverford, or Swarthmore institutional credentials. Please note that some records may be restricted to an individual college. If that is the case, you will continue to see the "Restricted Access" message depicted above even after you have logged in. Information about restrictions that apply to an individual college will also be noted in the “Access Restrictions” field in the metadata record. If you are unable to view a restricted record after logging in and think this is an error, please use the contact form to report the issue.


Requesting Reproductions


In some cases, you may be able to download a high-resolution (publication quality) or low-resolution (web quality) version of a file directly from the item record. Click on the “Download” link below the image viewer to view download options. 


If download options are not available, you may contact the repository that holds the item. For more information about reproduction request and permission to publish procedures at each library, please visit the following pages:



Copyright Status


The TriCollege Libraries Digital Collections utilizes standardized rights statements from RightsStatements.org wherever possible. Standardized rights statements appear in record metadata in the “Rights Status” field. Where a standardized RightsStatements.org status has not been determined, a legacy statement will appear in the “Rights Statement” metadata field. We are continuously working to update legacy rights statements; rights status information will not always be available. 


For help determining whether an item is in the public domain, we recommend consulting Cornell University Library’s Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States webpage.


Copyright Policy


U.S. Copyright law protects creators’ rights to control the use of their works for a limited period of time. Creators have exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, perform, and display their works, and to create derivative works. In addition to copyright protections, some materials may be subject to restrictions because of privacy and publicity rights, trademark, purchase agreement, or donor stipulation. Foreign-made works may be subject to foreign copyright laws.


Under certain conditions specified by law (Title 17, United States Code), libraries and archives are authorized to make reproductions accessible. The TriCollege Libraries do not own exclusive copyright to all of their collections. Where the individual College is not the sole copyright holder, or where materials are not in the public domain, access to materials is provided under the Fair Use (17 U.S. Code § 107) exemption of the U.S. Copyright law for purposes of "criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research." In these cases, either a low-resolution image is made publicly accessible, or access is restricted to the TriCollege community. Access restrictions may also be imposed as a requirement by a donor or due to privacy, publicity rights, or other legal requirements. 


The publication or dissemination of copyrighted materials for purposes beyond those allowed by the Fair Use exemption referenced above require the written permission of the copyright holder(s). Ultimate responsibility for assessing copyright status and for securing any necessary permission rests exclusively with the user.



Takedown Procedure


The TriCollege Libraries make every effort to comply with copyright, privacy, confidentiality, and donor restrictions before making collections accessible online. If you are a rights holder and have not granted permission, or are the subject of materials that have been made accessible on this site, you may request these materials be removed or embargoed. 


A takedown request may be initiated by:


  • The individual or organization who is the copyright holder.

  • The individual or organization who is the subject of the record containing personal or confidential information.

  • A legally authorized agent representing the copyright holder or record subject.


To submit a takedown request, please fill out the Takedown Request Form. You will be asked to provide the following information:


  1. Name

  2. Email

  3. Phone Number

  4. URL to the record(s) 

  5. Reason for Request

  6. Supporting documentation