Using Images, Citing, and Plagiarism: Creative Commons/ Images and Music Online

Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that enables the sharing and use of creativity and knowledge through free legal tools.

Creative Commons was developed to share online materials freely, without having to obtain copyright permission. Search Creative Commons for images, videos, and music through Google, Flickr, YouTube, and more.  Be sure to read the individual copyright notice for each item as the rules may vary depending on the use.

Some image search engines or websites (Google, Flickr, etc.) allow you to limit your search to images licensed with Creative Commons licenses that may allow re-use. See the links in the box to the right. Check the specific license to see if you can modify the image (make derivative works), use it for commercial purposes, or need to make attribution to the creator.  When using a Creative Commons image, you will need to link to the terms of the license on the CC website.

You can also use Creative Commons to license your work.

Musopen

International Music Score Library Project

Image resources and usage policies

Metropolitan Museum of Art and Policy

Smithsonian Art Inventories Catalog and Terms of Use

National Gallery of Art and Policy

Europeana and Terms and Policies

The images found within the license-specific websites listed below can usually be used for personal and educational use, with attribution or credit given to the contributor. However, the way each image can be used may vary, so be sure to read the fine print before using the image.