Reproducing Archival Materials
Limits on the Use of Reproductions
We provide reproductions of materials in our collections, but there are limits on how you can use those reproductions.
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17 United States Code) governs the reproduction of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, archives are authorized to provide a reproduction.
One of these conditions is that the reproduction must not be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” Archives & Special Collections provides copies of materials for these purposes.
If you request to reproduce Archives & Special Collections materials, your request constitutes an agreement that you will not:
- reproduce
- transfer
- distribute
- broadcast
- publicly display
- offer for sale
- otherwise use or publish
any material subject to copyright, or a portion thereof, in excess of fair use, as defined by copyright law, without the express permission of the copyright holder.
If you use a reproduction for purposes in excess of fair use, you may be liable for copyright infringement.
Permission to capture images for research purposes does not constitute the right to distribute or publish these images. Such rights are secured only with the joint permission of the copyright holder(s) (if applicable) and the University as owner of the material.
In obtaining a reproduction from Archives & Special Collections, you assume all responsibility for:
- Determining the copyright status of the material
- Determining whether any permissions relating to copyright, privacy, publicity, trademark, or any other rights are necessary for your intended use
- Obtaining all required permissions
We reserve the right to:
- Limit the number of copies made
- Restrict the use of rare and valuable items
- Deny a request because of copyright regulations, privacy rights, donor-imposed regulations, or other rights-related issues.
Please visit our Copyright & Citing Materials page for complete information on copyright, getting permission, and citing materials from Archives & Special Collections.
Reproduction Request Form
Please fill out, sign, and submit the Reproduction Order Form
Reproduction Fees
and Payment
Effective as of 2022
With some exceptions, the use of cameras (without flash) is permitted and encouraged. There is no charge for use of cameras. Archives and Special Collections staff may forbid the use of cameras if:
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You mishandle materials
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Your equipment poses any risk to our materials
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Your equipment causes disruption in our reading room
Payment (cash or check) required in advance. Work begins after receiving payment. UNC reserves the right to make available any digital files that result from patron requests.
Photocopies
Free: 1-25 copies of archival material/semester
$.10 page: 26 copies and up/semester
Digital Scans
Scan up to 300 dpi
Free: 1-10 scans of textual materials/semester
Prices include straightening and cropping. Average turnaround time for most jobs is 5-10 business days; turnaround time for large or complex orders may vary. Patrons may request image delivery format as TIFF, JPEG, or PDF. Text includes uncorrected OCR (Optimal Character Recognition) for text search capability. If you have a project that does not seem to fit in these categories, please don’t hesitate to contact us with your inquiry!
No free scans for higher resolution materials. 20% increase to the total price for orders with higher resolution scans.
50% of total price for turnaround of fewer than 5 business days
Text
- Unbound, sheet-fed: $0.25
- Bound text, non-sheet-fed: $0.50
Photos
- Under 11×17”: $1.00
- 11×17” or greater: $2.00
Negatives
- Under 4×5”: $1.00
- 4×5” or greater: $1.00
Slides
All slides: $1.00
Audio-Visual Materials
Existing digital media: $10.00 each per file
New digital media: Cost of labor, materials, and/or vendor charges
Free for the first hour, then $20.00 per hour*
*This fee is for in-depth research performed by a staff member or an archivist to provide you with information, resources, or answers.
There is no fee for:
- Using materials from Archives & Special Collections yourself. This is true even if your research project is long-term.
Consulting with Archives & Special Collections staff to locate materials for your research
Within the U.S., up to 10 sheets of paper: $2.50 (first class mail)
Within the U.S., more than 10 sheets of paper: current U.S. Postal Service rate
International: varies