This page contains a library of links to web site repositories for open access or Creative Commons licensed content. Much of what these web sites contain is freely available, with minimal restrictions. Go to the CLEAR Creative Commons web page to learn more about CC licensing and their requirements.
Works in Multiple Formats
-
Search reliable sources for creative works including media, images, video, audio, music, web.
-
Search across repositories, including collections databases, library catalogs, and collection inventories to locate books, periodicals, photos, and more.
-
Southern Connecticut State University — Open Access Resources
Search works including audio, video, images, journals, books, teaching materials, and mixed
-
Please use caution when querying Google and other general purpose search engines for assets to use in your course. This link directly above will set Google's usage rights filter, under Advanced Search settings, to "free to use, share or modify, even commercially." You must still verify the license and rights by clicking through to the originating web page and reading the terns.
Text
-
A collection of public domain electronic books.
-
29,000 free eBooks available for Kindle, Nook, iPad, and most other eReaders.
-
A free and open peer reviewed collection of online teaching and learning materials and faculty-developed services contributed and used by an international education community.
Video
-
Center for Media and Social Impact
Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Online Video
-
The Internet Archive — Prelinger Archives
A collection of advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur films
Audio
-
Public domain audio books
Images
-
All of the web sites listed directly above host images which are free and unrestricted, even for commercial use. They also do not require any kind of attribution or caption.
-
Like the web sites above, MaxPixel hosts images that are free and unrestricted, even for commercial use. However, some of the images require an attribution caption. Be sure to check the license terms on the right side of each page displaying an image.
-
Flickr - Creative Commons Licensed & Public Domain Works
Please proceed with caution when browsing the Flickr web site. Flickr hosts a variety of photographs, but some of them are copyright protected and highly restricted, so please review the license terms before using any photograph or image from Flickr. To help you with this process, we are providing the link above, which is to a special page on Flickr that provides a jump-off point for access to all the Creative Commons licensed and public domain works on their site. If you follow the above link and click one of the "see more" links, it will then give you an option to search images which are licensed or unlicensed according to that group.
-
PublicDomainVectors (Clip Art)
This web site offers clip art that is completely unrestricted in use.
-
Smithsonian Institution — Public Domain Images
Via Flickr Commons. Please note that most other Flickr.com photographs are copyright restricted, which is why that particular site is not listed here. Before using photos from any other Flickr contributors, please first carefully read its licensing terms.
-
New York Times — Public Domain Images Archives
Via Wikimedia Commons
-
The NGA has an open access policy for digital images of works of art believed to be in the public domain. Images are free of charge for any use, and users do not need seek permission.
-
Over a million images on Flickr Commons for anyone to use.
-
Over 100,000 high resolution historical images including manuscripts, paintings, etchings, early photography, and advertisements are freely available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) licence, with an acknowledgement of the original source.
-
Please use Wikimedia Commons with caution. Since the public contributes to a wiki with minimal editorial oversight, many of the millions of media contained within are licensed under a variety of licenses (most commonly CC BY-SA). At times, contributors also make unauthorized uploads of media copyrighted by third parties. It can still be a useful resource, but due diligence in verifying the original authorship of an image by performing a reverse image search is always a good idea.
-
Harvard Law School: Finding Public Domain & Creative Commons Media
This resource provides a list of additional web sites and ways to search them for public domain and free-to-use assets.