Request Reproductions

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Permission, Copyright, and Attribution

Spencer Research Library welcomes you to use materials in our collections that are in the public domain and to make fair use of copyrighted materials as defined by copyright law. Please cite us following the guidelines on our Cite Materials page.

Materials held by Spencer Research Library may be protected by United States Copyright Law and/or by the copyright laws of other countries. Copyright law protects unpublished as well as published materials.

Spencer Research Library does not claim to control the rights for reproduction for all materials or images in its collections. Images or materials may be protected by copyright, trademark, privacy, or other interests not owned by the University of Kansas. If the University of Kansas does not clearly hold the copyright to an item, Spencer Research Library cannot grant or deny permission to use that material.

When you obtain a reproduction from Spencer Research Library, you assume all responsibility for determining whether any permissions relating to copyright, privacy, publicity, trademark, or any other rights are necessary for your intended use, and for obtaining all required permissions.

Spencer Research Library staff may be able to provide available information about rights holders. The Libraries cannot guarantee the accuracy of such information and shall not be responsible for any inaccurate information. Spencer Research Library will not facilitate or execute requests for permission.

We appreciate receiving a copy of any published work that features our material.

If you have additional information about an item you have seen on our website or if you are the copyright owner and believe our website has not properly attributed your work to you or has used it without permission, we want to hear from you. Please contact ksrlref@ku.edu with your contact information and a link to the relevant content.

Reproductions Created by Patrons

On-site patrons may be able to scan materials themselves, using the overhead scanner in the Reading Room or a personal digital device (e.g. camera, phones, tablets, and, if approved, personal scanners). There is no charge for these scans, but the images may not be publication quality. Please consult with Reading Room staff before beginning to copy materials.

Users scanning materials are expected to handle all materials with care, according to the Library's guidelines. In addition, researchers using a personal digital device are asked to turn off the flash and sound and to not use any special light to photograph.

Be sure to keep accurate notes for all items photographed. If you wish to order publication-quality images or cite materials in a publication, you will be responsible for knowing which items you are copying.

It is your sole responsibility to copy within fair use guidelines of the U.S. Copyright Law and to obtain permission to publish from copyright owners.

Reproductions Created by Staff

Staff can create digital copies of items in the Library’s collections under some circumstances, for a fee:

• When patrons are off-site and unable to come into the library.
• When the material needs to be scanned by staff because of format or condition.
• When a publication-quality reproduction is needed.

Requests for reproductions created by Spencer staff are submitted using Aeon, our online request system. Please see below for more information.

Reproduction requests are reviewed by library staff; approval typically takes up to three business days.

Some reproduction requests will require more time, sometimes several weeks. These include requests for large amounts of copying, situations requiring use of specialized equipment due to the fragility or size of the original item, and requests for reproductions of audiovisual materials. Library staff will contact the requestor in these cases or if the item cannot be copied.

PDFs and low-resolution image files will be delivered by email whenever possible. Large PDF files and high-resolution image files will be delivered via the library’s cloud server, and you will receive an email with links to the images. Please download the image files as soon as possible. They are removed from the server after 30 days. If a request is for multiple image files, particularly if they are large format, it may be necessary to burn the files onto a DVD and mail it you, or you may pick up the DVD in the Library.

Instructions

Patrons without an Aeon account will need to start by creating one. To do so, go to the main Aeon page on the Spencer website. Additional information about creating an Aeon user account can be found on the Use Collections page.

To submit a reproduction request in Aeon, find the "New Request" heading in the menu on the left and select "Reproduction." Fill in the information on the request form, being as accurate and thorough as possible in describing the materials to be copied. When finished, select the green “Submit Request” button at the bottom of the screen.

If you're working in the KU Libraries online catalog, you can submit a reproduction request by going to the bottom of a catalog record for a Spencer item. Select “Get at Spencer,” which will direct you to log in to your Aeon account. The system will automatically open a "New Reading Room Use" request form and populate the title and call number fields for you. Select the "Switch to Reproduction Form" button. The automatically-populated details will remain. Please add additional details that Spencer staff will need to identify the materials you would like to be copied, being as accurate and thorough as possible. When finished, select the green “Submit Request” button at the bottom of the screen.

You will receive an email confirmation once you have submitted a reproduction request in Aeon.

You can monitor the progress of your reproduction request in your Aeon account. Select "Main Menu" at top of the list of options on the left. See the "Order Status" column on the far right to see the status of your reproduction request. If you have a large number of transactions in Aeon, select the arrows at the top of the "Order Status" column to bring your reproduction requests to the top of the list.

If charges apply, an invoice will be placed in your Aeon account. You will receive an email with further instructions for approving the charges and making a payment.

Charges and Fees

Reproductions can be paid for by cash or a check made payable to the University of Kansas. Overseas patrons should contact Reference Coordinator Shelby Schellenger at s.schellenger@ku.edu or 785-864-1615 regarding payment options.

On-site patrons at Spencer Research Library are charged appropriate sales tax.

Off-site researchers who are Kansas residents are charged sales tax based on the rate for their zip code. This information can be obtained from the Kansas Department of Revenue website.

Off-site patrons who are not Kansas residents are not charged sales tax.

Print Materials, Manuscripts, and Photographs

Patron-created reproductions

• Bookeye scanner (Reading Room only): No charge
• Digital camera (Reading Room only): No charge

Staff-created reproductions

• PDF reference copies (not available for negatives or slides): $0.25 per image
• JPEGs (low resolution, not available for negatives or slides): $2.00 per image
• TIFFs (high resolution, for publication or enlargement): $5.00 per image

Sound and Moving Images

Digitization of audiovisual material will depend on the condition of the original format, as determined by the Curator or Librarian responsible for the item in consultation with the Audiovisual Preservation Specialist. Please contact Reference Coordinator Shelby Schellenger at s.schellenger@ku.edu or 785-864-1615 for more information.

Delivery options

• Media: DVD, CD, cloud upload, or delivery on customer-provided external drive.
• Format: MP3 (audio) or MP4 (moving image); alternative file formats possible upon request.

Audio

• Analog to digital conversion (includes LP, 78rpm, 45rpm, audiocassette, open reel tape): $10/hour per source ($10 minimum)
• Digital source to digital copy: No charge
• Outside vendor digital conversion: Vendor costs*
• Students may request up to three hours per semester at no charge.

Video

• Video to digital conversion: $10/hour per source ($10 minimum)
• Digital source to digital copy: No charge
• Vendor digital conversion (analog and older formats): Vendor costs*
• Students may request up to three hours per semester at no charge.

Film

• Vendor digital conversion: Vendor costs*
• Digital source to digital copy: No charge

*Estimate of typical vendor rates: 

• Film-to-digital (16mm standard definition conversion): $350 minimum
• Video-to-digital: $75/hour (average)
• All others on a case-by-case basis.