Audio, Images, and Video

Seeking inspiration for your next creative endeavor? Conducting research on visual history? Looking for the perfect piece of media to include in your course project? This guide is here to support you! The Audio, Images, and Video research guide provides quick access to a variety of multimedia collections and tools, including items without copyright restrictions that you can customize to your specific purposes.

Copyright and Fair Use

In the United States, copyright is a type of intellectual property that protects original works of authorship as soon as an author fixes the work in a tangible form of expression. this can include paintings, photographs, illustrations, musical compositions, sound recordings, computer programs, books, poems, blog posts, movies, architectural works, plays, choreography, and more. Works are original when they are independently created by a human author and have a minimal degree of creativity. Independent creation simply means that you create it yourself, without copying. A work is fixed when it is captured (either by or under the authority of an author) in a sufficiently permanent medium such that the work can be perceived, reproduced, or communicated for more than a short time. (U.S. Copyright Office, What Is Copyright)

Fair use is a legal doctrine that promotes freedom of expression by permitting the unlicensed use of copyright-protected works in certain circumstances. For more information about copyright and fair use, see the Iwasaki Library's Fair Use guide. Fair use is one powerful tool for individuals interested in using copyrighted materials in their own creations. For help in properly crediting sources you've found, visit our Citation research guide.

Boston Public Library eCard

Looking for even more resources? As an Emerson student, you are eligible for a Boston Public Library eCard. An eCard is a Boston Public Library card that you can sign up for online, and which provides access to BPL's online resources, including OverDrive and Hoopla. eCards are available to anyone who lives, resides part-time to attend school, owns property, or works in Massachusetts.

These resource collections include audio, image, and video files across a broad range of topics and subjects. They can serve as a good starting point in your search for media.