Audiovisual Reproduction

NOTICE: Warning Concerning Copyright Restrictions

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of copies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specified conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research." If a user makes a reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.

This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order, if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.

Update: At this time, we are not able to provide access to AV material that has not already been digitized. If the item you are interested in has already been digitized, we can work on getting that material to you.

Special Collections and University Archives will provide access to film and audiovisual content from its collections when possible. However, due to the rare and fragile nature of many of these materials, each request must be reviewed by departmental staff to determine the best way to provide access to the requested item(s). The requestor will be notified of available options for accessing the materials within two (2) business days from the time the request is submitted.

When possible, audiovisual content may be made available online as a streaming file. Depending on the request, this may be made available for free within 15 business days of the request, or sooner for a fee (see below for information on fees). In some cases, the department may need to contract with a third-party vendor for digitization services with the associated costs assumed by the requester.

Request Audiovisual Content

Patrons are required to complete the Audiovisual Request Form and submit it to Special Collection and University Archives.

Proof of copyright clearance must be provided by the requester to Special Collections and University Archives for any materials whose copyright Iowa State University does not control. Use of any part of these materials in any audiovisual project, making copies, and/or uploading to the Internet without written consent of the ISU Library Special Collections and University Archives is prohibited. Special Collections and University Archives must be cited as the source for the footage.

All fees, including extended research fees, must be paid prior to transfer. For rush orders, an additional fee will be assessed. Acceptable forms of payment for fees payable to the Special Collections and University Archives include check, credit card, money order, and ISU intramural purchase order.

Transfer Fees (based on original media format)

Please note that fees are waived for Iowa State University (faculty, staff, student) and Iowa statewide media 

The following fees are charged in order to recover some of the costs associated with providing access to these materials.

Licensing Fees

To use any part of a film or audiovisual item in which Iowa State University controls the copyright, the department's Permission to Publish Form or a licensing agreement must be completed and returned. In addition, the following additional fees may apply:

If extended research is required, the cost will be $50 per hour (charged in 15-minute increments).