Image Permissions & Requests
The Library considers its extraordinary collection of books, maps, and prints an inalienable resource that has been protected and curated for nearly two centuries, but it also understands the value these sources have for potential audiences throughout the world. The digital revolution has made sharing the collection easier than ever before, allowing us to adopt an open access policy that will help our materials reach anyone who is interested in using them.
Non-Commercial Use
Every item in the JCB digital collections—Luna, Internet Archive and Social Media—is licensed under a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0). This means that you are free to:
Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
As long as you give appropriate credit (we kindly ask you to use the following credit line: "Courtesy of the John Carter Brown Library") and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
No prior request is necessary, but the JCB would appreciate knowing about your publication or receiving complimentary copy of the published version of your work (see below).
Commercial Use
If you intend to use an image from JCB digital collections for commercial purposes, the license described above (CC BY 4.0) still applies. You are free to use our digital items as long as you give appropriate credit ("Courtesy of the John Carter Brown Library").
No prior request is necessary, but the JCB would appreciate knowing about your publication.
Not rarely, publishing houses, journals and editors require that authors provide a written permission for image use. If that is the case, please send us an email and we will process your request. In return, we kindly ask the requester to send us a copy of the published work.
Sending us a Copy of your Work
We would deeply appreciate if anyone using items from JCB's digital collections would send a complimentary copy of their final published work to:
Digitization & Image Requests
The John Carter Brown Library
94 George Street
Providence, Rhode Island 02906
USA
How to Download High Quality Images
Luna
When looking through images and maps on Luna, take note of the grey 'Export' button on the right upper side of the frame. If you click this button, you can download the item in the size that would best suit your needs. From a small thumbnail to an extra-extra large option.
Internet Archive
If you want to download a specific page from a book on Internet Archive, at its best possible quality, you can zoom in the page that you need. Each time you zoom in, a new image will be loaded, with better quality. Then, you can right-click on the page, and select 'Save Image As...'.
Alternatively, scroll down to the "Download Options" box located on the right side of the screen. And click on the link "Single Page Processed JP2 ZIP". Please keep in mind, that this links will download a large file (sometimes over 1 Gb), containing all the images in the book, in their highest quality.
External Digitization Requests
We're sorry, but currently we are unable to process external digitization requests.
Help the JCB to Digitize its Entire Collection
The John Carter Brown Library is committed to digitize its entire collection of over 50,000 books related to the history of the Americas between the late 15th to the early 19th century — and make it freely accessible to scholars and audiences around the world.
As the JCB does not charge for image licenses, it relies solely on donations and gifts from our constituents to fund our digitization program. Please consider making a donation and help the JCB to make this noble aspiration come true!
Special Requests and Contact
If you have a special request, not included in this page, please write to jcb-digitization@brown.edu.