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Permission to Publish

The Maryland Center for History and Culture will supply permission to publish from collection items only when MCHC is the copyright holder of those materials. If MCHC is not the copyright holder, you do not need, nor can we supply, permission from MCHC simply as the physical owner of the material.

We particularly encourage use of public domain materials within MCHC collections, and these do not require permissions for use. (“Copyright Term and the Public Domain” resources here: https://guides.library.cornell.edu/copyright/publicdomain)

Additionally, if your intended use of MCHC collection items falls within the fair use limitations on copyright specified in the U.S. copyright law (§ 107, Title 17, United States Code), you do not need MCHC permission for that intended use. We cannot advise on or determine for you whether fair use applies to your intended use.

Please note that existing catalog and finding aid records with copyright notes will be updated on an ongoing basis and that ultimately it is the user’s responsibility to adhere to U.S. copyright law and guard against the infringement of copyright or other rights held by others.

Copyright Held by MCHC

For Manuscript Materials: For permission to publish text from manuscript collections in which copyright is held by MCHC, please contact MCHC’s Special Collections Department at specialcollections@mdhistory.org.

Please state in your inquiry that permission is requested to publish from the manuscript collections indicated (attach additional pages if necessary) and list the excerpts. Please give precise information on the materials you wish to publish and the publication in which they are to appear. Quotations must appear in context, or you may attach copies of the pages containing them.

For Image-Based Materials: For permission to publish image-based materials (i.e.,, photographs, prints, maps) in which copyright is held by MCHC, please contact MCHC’s Imaging Services Department at imagingservices@mdhistory.org. For more information about the digitization request process and fees, visit the Reproductions & Permissions page.

In giving permission to publish, MCHC does not forfeit the right to publish or to grant permission to others to publish. MCHC does not assume any responsibility for infringement of copyright, or of literary or publication rights to the materials held by others.

Attribution and Citation

For publishing and other public uses of materials from MCHC collections, we highly encourage attribution of any creators and MCHC as the source of the physical materials to support new scholarship and help other researchers find cited material. Citation guidelines available here.