Archives: Reproductions and Copyright

Copyright

Copies for personal use: We can, under the fair dealing provisions of copyright law, provide one copy of a document for research purposes or private study, unless the donor or copyright holder has expressly forbidden such copying. Researchers must complete our "Request for Reproduction of Works" form and send it to us before any copying can be done. For researchers working on site in the Archives, the form is provided in the Reading Room. We keep a record of every request for photocopying.

Copies for publication: All questions of copyright are ultimately the responsibility of the researcher. While Trent University owns copyright to many collections in its care, in some cases, copyright resides with the donor or his/her estate. Permission to publish any materials in our holdings or make any use of them beyond private study (for example on a website) must be requested in writing and may also require the authorization of the copyright owner. The proper citation for Trent University Archives must be given.

In general terms:

  • All works, whether published or not, are protected under copyright law for the life of the author/creator plus 70 years from the end of the calendar year that the author/creator died.
  • Photographers and artists have the same authorship rights as other creators (with the exception that photographs taken before January 1, 1949 are in the public domain.
  • "Copying" means the reproduction of something in any format, including photographing something with a camera.
  • The Archives, like the Library and the University, follows Fair Dealing guidelines.

The Canadian Copyright Act is available online and includes a Frequently Asked Questions section. TULA has posted copyright guidelines as well. The University of Alberta has a Canadian Copyright Term and Public Domain Flowchart that may be useful.

Self-serve copying

Archives staff can give permission for visitors to our reading room to use their phones or devices (without a flash) to take images of material, providing there are no concerns regarding copyright, donor restrictions, or conservation. Visitors must complete our "Request for Reproduction of Works" form. There is no charge for self-serve copying. There is no public access to our photocopy machine.

Digitization on demand

Researchers (both on-site and remote) can request that Archives staff copy material for them. Archives staff reserve the right to determine whether the material can be copied, in accordance with copyright law, any restrictions placed on the material, and any preservation concerns.

Material can be either scanned and emailed, or photocopied for mailing/pickup.

Fee schedule

  • Unimproved basic scan or photocopy: 50 cents per page
  • Scanned image for publication: $10 per image
  • Digitizing a sound recording or film/video: Please inquire. Digitization may be contracted out to a commercial firm and charges are levied on a case-by-case basis.

Researchers will be charged postage for material mailed through the post.