How do I request permission to publish or use material from the Northwest Room?

It is the user’s responsibility to obtain any necessary permission from the holder(s) of copyright for the publication or distribution of material held by the Northwest Room. United States copyright law provides protection for unpublished materials as well as for published works. 

Publishing/Distributing Material Under Copyright 

The Northwest Room does not hold the copyright to all materials in our holdings. We cannot grant permission for the publication of materials for which we do not explicitly control the copyright. Permission may be granted only by the copyright holder(s). It is the researcher’s responsibility to identify the copyright holder(s) to obtain any necessary permission that is required under United States copyright law. Researchers may also consider the four factors of Fair Use described in Section 107 of the US Copyright Act. More information about Fair Use is available from the US Copyright Office, opens a new window. 

Publishing/Distributing Material in the Public Domain 

Some material held by the Northwest Room is in the public domain (the statutory term of copyright has expired or is otherwise ineligible for copyright protection). More information on using materials in the Public Domain is available from the Copyright Alliance, opens a new window. 

Citing Material from the Northwest Room

When using materials from the Northwest Room, a full citation should be included which identifies the Northwest Room at Tacoma Public Library as the repository. Here are some examples of proper citations of different types of material:

  1. A digitized image citation should include the image identifier, the name of the collection, and the name of the repository: RSS-127, Richards Studio Photographs (Collection 2.1.1), Northwest Room at Tacoma Public Library
  2. A citation of a document should include descriptive information about the item, the date, the name of the collection, and the name of the repository: Letter from T. Handforth to his mother from Brooklyn, NY, January 12, 1931, Thomas Handforth Papers (Collection 3.5.3), Northwest Room at Tacoma Public Library. 
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