MIT Photos
MIT Libraries Photos - (Free) - A collection of professionally shot photos of MIT Libraries’ staff, library buildings, study spaces, events, exhibits, special collections, etc. Hosted on Smugmug (formerly hosted on Thalia).
MIT CPS (Communication Production Services) Photo Library - A Flickr collection of professionally shot “stock” photos of MIT. Over 800 images of the MIT campus, buildings, classrooms, teaching, student activities, etc. Browse and search the collection.
Image Resources at MIT - MIT Libraries' research guide that highlights several web sites for finding MIT-related images, with a focus on art and architecture
Photos from both MIT collections are for use in MIT websites and publications only. Reproduced photos must credit the photographers.
Library image archives in the Public Domain
Smithsonian, Open F|S (Asian Art)
Getty Open Content Program
Folger Shakespeare Library Digital Image Collection
General Photos (Free)
Google Advanced Image Search- (Free) Search for free images by specifying "free to use or share" in the usage rights field. Include a photo credit for the site, or photographer responsible for the photo.
Flickr- (Free) Search for Creative Commons licensed photos by selecting "
MorgueFile - (Free) - A public image archive with high-resolution digital stock photography for public use. Use this resource for generic images that can’t be found from MIT resources. Image quality (professional v. non) varies. Most photos don’t require attribution, but check license before using.
Finding Images - MIT Libraries' research guide that highlights several web sites for finding images, with a focus on art and architecture
US Government Photo Archives (Free) - A good resource for research, science and historic images. Most photos and images on these sites are in the public domain and may be used and reproduced without permission or fee. Some however, are protected by license (e.g. Smithsonian), so please be sure to read the disclaimers on each site before downloading a photo. Photos sources should be credited (e.g. Courtesy of: National Science Foundation)
A few examples of gov. image sites:
- National Science Foundation: http://nsf.gov/news/mmg/
- National Institute of Standards and Technology: http://patapsco.nist.gov/imagegallery/
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/index.html
- National Park Service: http://www.nps.gov/pub_aff/imagebase.html
- Library of Congress Prints and Photographs online catalog: http://www.loc.gov/pictures
General Photos (For a fee)
iStock - http://www.istockphoto.com/(For a fee) - An online, royalty free stock photography provider. Images are for sale and can be reused indefinitely. Use this resource for generic images that can’t be found from MIT resources. Browse by image type, select “photos,” to exclude video and illustrations. Please contact: Ann Adelsberger to purchase to purchase a photo for Libraries use.