Copyrights + licensing of Collections

The White River Valley Museum is dedicated to making the history of the White River Valley region accessible to everyone while also being responsible stewards of the histories and objects entrusted to us and protecting the livelihoods of artists, authors, and other creators whose works may be in our collections.

Our requests for using the collections in summary:

  • Be responsible and respectful when using images and data from the Online Collections Catalog. Everything here was made by a real person and tells the stories of real people.

  • Ask permission to use things that don’t belong to you, and adhere to the rules of the permissions and licenses you are granted. Respect the cultural and legal boundaries put on information to ensure that we are able to continue providing this information freely to all.

  • Cite the information you use. The original artists, authors, and photographers deserve recognition for their work, as do the archivists and history workers who have preserved, researched, and shared these works for future generations.

Using images and photographs of collections

The Museum owns the physical objects in the collection, but it does not necessarily own the copyright or other applicable intellectual rights associated with every item in its collection. It is the responsibility of users to obtain all applicable permissions from the copyright holder(s) of materials prior to using them for any purpose beyond Fair Use, including public display, publishing, distribution, and editorial use.

Fair Use + Public Domain

The White River Valley Museum provides online access to its collection in accordance with United States copyright law (Title 17, USC). Users are welcome to use all images and collections data in the Online Collections Catalog for any Fair Use purpose without requesting additional permissions, including research, personal scholarship, student projects, teaching, and personal display.

Some images in the collections catalog are available for all uses, including noncommercial and commercial use, under the CC0 public domain waiver, and can be used without additional permissions. Images available under this license will be labelled CC0 in the Copyrights field on their individual catalog pages. Requests for new scans of images in the public domain are still subject to fees for time and labor.

Commercial Use + Distribution

Commercial use of images in the Online Collections Catalog that are not in the public domain requires written permission from the White River Valley Museum and the purchase of a commercial use license. Commercial use includes but is not limited to print or electronic publishing, video production, exhibits, interpretive signage, interior design, commercial reports, advertising, and being used to train, refine, or develop generative AI technologies to generate text, images, or data. If people need to pay money to access it, you are being paid for providing it, or it is being used to encourage people to pay money for a product or experience, it falls under commercial use. Commercial Use licenses can be requested through our Usage Request Form.

Noncommercial Use + Distribution

Certain use cases for images may fall outside of Fair Use but not be commercial, including exhibition in educational institutions with no ticket or entry fees, publication in thesis and dissertation papers, and educational publications (print or online) that are distributed for free and without paywalls. In these cases, images not in the public domain may be released for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) license without a licensing fee. Application of this license is at the discretion of the White River Valley Museum and still requires written permission. Requests for new scans of images being provided for noncommercial use are still subject to fees for time and labor.

Restrictions on Licensing and Use

Some collections images not in the public domain have additional restrictions on their use requested by their creator(s), cultural groups, copyright holders, donors, and other stakeholders. The White River Valley Museum will not provide a license to use an image that is in violation of these restrictions. The White River Valley Museum reserves the right to refuse a reproduction request if, in its judgment, fulfillment of that order would involve violations of United States copyright law or the code of ethics of the White River Valley Museum.

The nature of historical archival photograph collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine. White River Valley Museum makes no representation of exclusive ownership of the rights to any image. All users assume full responsibility for any infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.

Without limiting the copyright holder’s exclusive rights, any use of collections data, images, and any other material included in this Online Collections Catalog to train, refine, or develop generative AI technologies to generate text, images, or data is strictly forbidden.

Using collections data + content warnings

All collections data (excluding images, sound recordings, moving images, and other multimedia files) in the Online Collections Catalog is released for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) license. Commercial use and reproduction of collections data is prohibited without written permission from the White River Valley Museum.

Collections data is in a constant state of refinement. Updates and improvements to object descriptions and other data will occur in the normal course of our stewardship work. Collections data and images may be revised without notice.

Some content in the collections may not be suitable for all viewers. Collections data and images may contain language and imagery that depicts violence, racism, sexuality and nudity, drug and alcohol use, and offensive or derogatory language. These collections are shared as authentic historical documentation of the era they were from and the people who made and used them, not as a reflection of the White River Valley Museum’s values.

Citation Guidelines

To cite an item in the collection, include its Catalog number, Collection name (if applicable), and the Museum's name. If the citation is made in an online product, include the URL to the individual catalog page. Other information like title and date may be useful or even required depending on the citation style used by your project. History and other humanities fields commonly utilize Chicago Manual of Style standards, examples of which are provided below.

  • George L. Kinkade, Elysium, 1944, photograph, PO-05189B, George L. Kinkade Alpine Photography Collection, White River Valley Museum, Auburn, WA, https://wrvmuseum.catalogaccess.com/photos/22823. 

  • Rosie Shimojima, interview by Karen Haas, 2004, 2018.0011.019, White River Valley Museum Oral History Collection, White River Valley Museum, Auburn, WA, https://wrvmuseum.catalogaccess.com/archives/27354.

  • Otto F. Wegener, Truitt's Second Addition to Auburn, King County, Washington [map], 1:100, 1909, MP-0051, Ronnie Beyersdorf Memorial Map Collection, White River Valley Museum, Auburn, WA, https://wrvmuseum.catalogaccess.com/archives/25065. 

Terms and Conditions for Image Use and Licensing

Copyright. Copyright protection is provided by laws of the United States and other countries to the creators of "original works of authorship" including literary, dramatic, artistic, musical, and certain other intellectual works. United States Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) restricts unauthorized use of copyrighted material; potential users must obtain permission from the copyright holder.

The nature of historical archival photograph collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine. The White River Valley Museum (WRVM) makes no representation of exclusive ownership of the rights to any image. All users assume full responsibility for any infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.

Use of materials from the WRVM constitutes agreement to defend and indemnify, WRVM, its agencies, their officers, and/or their employees or designates harmless from and against any and all liability, including costs and expenses, based on the violation of rights of ownership, infringement of copyright, or invasion of rights of privacy, or laws of libel, resulting from our use of such materials or copies licensed for use by WRVM.

Fair Use. The doctrine of Fair Use allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright holder. Fair Use includes comment, criticism, teaching, and private scholarship. All other uses require written permission.

United States copyright law authorizes libraries and archives to furnish photocopies and reproduction of copyrighted material only under certain specified conditions. Such copies may not be used for any purpose other than those defined as Fair Use. If a user requests or later uses a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of Fair Use, that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of that order would involve violations of this law.

Commercial Use. Commercial use requires written permission from the owner (WRVM), and includes but is not limited to electronic or paper publishing, video production, exhibits, product presentations, interior design, advertising, or similar commercial purposes.

Right of Refusal. The White River Valley Museum reserves the right to refuse to copy any materials when the original materials are judged too fragile to withstand the reproduction process.

Extent of License. Photographs licensed from the White River Valley Museum are to be used once only, as specified by the user at the time of license purchase. No further rights are extended with the license. Users may not authorize others to use the material or copies licensed herein, for any purpose whatsoever, including all forms of publication, broadcast, and electronic dissemination except as specially provided in this agreement without first obtaining a written letter of permission from the White River Valley Museum.

Credit. Credit must be given adjacent to every photograph displayed or published. Please credit the White River Valley Museum using the credit line: White River Valley Museum, [plus the Catalog Number]. (For example, White River Valley Museum, PO-05687.) The credit information for digital files must be integral with the image as it is displayed, so that downloading of the image includes the credit line. Video projects may use the credit without the image number for broadcast. One copy of any publication/project utilizing licensed materials shall be donated to WRVM. In the case of film, a video copy is acceptable. (The donation is requested, but not required, for small personal publishing projects where no use fee is charged.) WRVM must be notified with the URL address of all online uses and notified of all URL address changes.

Online Usage. Licensed image/s must be used without significantly altering it/them through conventional or electronic means. Altering or manipulating the image beyond standard cropping and resizing requires permission from WRVM. Without limiting the copyright holder’s exclusive rights, any use of collections data, images, and any other material included in this Online Collections Catalog to train, refine, or develop generative AI technologies to generate text, images, or data is strictly forbidden.

Fees. There may be fees involved for using licensed materials and the user agrees to pay any charges required by this request.