Reproductions & Permissions

Reproduction Services

The Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections provides photocopying and digital reproductions services. The Division will consider requests to reproduce materials needed by other institutions or individuals, subject to specific limitations imposed by available resources, the terms of acquisition, and subject to RMC's reproduction, conservation, interlibrary loan, and security policies.

All requests are subject to the following conditions:

  • Curatorial approval
  • Donor-imposed restrictions
  • The copyright laws of the United States

Because many of the materials in the collections are irreplaceable, the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections may be unable to photocopy or otherwise reproduce any materials that could be damaged in the process.

Photocopies and PDFs are created by staff in the Division. All other in-house digital reproduction work is completed by the Cornell University Library's Digital Consulting and Production Services. For information about equipment used, please refer to the web site of the DCAPS digital imaging studio.

Reproduction Ordering

Placing an order

  • On-site: Please use the form available in the Reading Room for submitting requests. Arrangements for pick-up, payment or mailing of photocopy orders should be made with the Reading Room Security Desk before leaving the Division. Photocopy orders may not be completed while the user is in the Library.
  • Off-site: Please submit all reproduction requests through our online form.

Turnaround time

  • All orders are processed in the order they are received.
  • Approximate turnaround periods vary based on material format and demand, but plan on four to six weeks.

Digital image information

  • Research quality files will be in PDF or JPG format (unless otherwise requested).
  • Publication quality files will be in TIF format (unless otherwise requested).
  • If requesting online delivery, make sure you have an internet connection and computer capable of handling large files.
  • We are unable to provide technical or graphic editing assistance once you have the files.

Pricing and payment

  • Please see our Reproduction Services Price List for complete pricing information.
  • An invoice will be sent with your order.
  • All payments must be made in U.S. currency.
  • Payments by cash, money order, or a check drawn on a U.S. bank can be mailed to us.
  • Payments by credit card or Cornell University account can be made by calling 607-255-3530.
  • International orders and orders over $100 must be paid in advance.

Permission to Publish

Users of the collections are expected to abide by all copyright laws. Photocopies and other reproductions are provided for research use only and may not be transferred or recopied without permission.

Materials out of copyright are considered to be in the public domain. Please refer to the Guidelines for Using Public Domain Text, Images, Audio, and Video Reproduced from Cornell University Library Collections.

Materials from the collections covered under copyright cannot be published or exhibited without obtaining the legally required permission. Permission requests should be emailed to the Permissions Coordinator. Permission requests must include:

  • Title of publication
  • Expected date of publication
  • Type of publication (scholarly, general, etc.)
  • Expected print run or distribution
  • Country of publication

We will review the request and respond regarding the permission and publication fee. Please allow a minimum of four weeks for permission authorization.

In many cases, the Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections is owner of the physical object only. It is the obligation of the researcher to fulfill the requirements of the copyright law.