Digital Collections Copyright and Content Policy

This policy covers the digital collections housed on the Emory Libraries website and in digital collections spaces.

About 

Note: If you have questions about permissions to reuse any content in our digital collections, please consult the Emory Digital Collections Contact page.

Emory Libraries are recognized as an intellectual center, transforming teaching, learning, research, and patient care through innovative resources, services, and collections for the campus community and beyond.

In alignment with our mission and values, we provide access to digital collections for educational, scholarly, and research purposes. Our digital collection and preservation efforts are designed to ensure long-term access to an increasing number of materials that have intellectual significance and enduring value and to provide access to digital collections in an environment that allows for ease of searching, browsing, retrieval, and reuse. We are committed to actively preserving the authenticity and integrity of our digital content, especially for historical and archival content.

Please remember when using Emory Digital Collections, it is important that you respect copyright, trademark, and other legal rights impacting reuse of materials, such as rights of privacy or publicity. It is your responsibility to determine whether permission is required to reuse materials from Emory Digital Collections.

Emory Libraries provides copyright information as a courtesy and makes no representation about copyright or other legal status of materials in its digital collections.

We are always interested in learning more about our collections. If you have information about any individuals who are not properly identified or would like to suggest any other changes, please complete our Emory Digital Collections Feedback form so we can make updates.

Questions about Content 

In accordance with the Emory Libraries Privacy Policy, we make our best efforts to remove or obscure Social Security Numbers and other identifying information that might be used for fraudulent purposes and information that is protected by federal statutes, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Since part of our mission is to preserve and promote our intellectual and cultural heritage, we are generally unable to correct inaccuracies within source materials, redact original content, or otherwise block public access to original content. Exceptions may be made for documented evidence of clear and imminent threat to personal safety.

If you believe an item in our digital collections contains private information, please complete the Digital Collections Takedown Request Form, providing as much information as possible.

At Emory Libraries, we make continuous efforts to ensure that we have the appropriate rights necessary to provide access to our digital collections. If you are a rightsholder and are concerned that our use of your material violates your rights, please complete the Digital Collections Takedown Request Form, providing as much information as possible.

Digital Collections Takedown Request Form Process 

Upon receipt of a Takedown Request Form, Emory Libraries staff will take the following actions:

  • Promptly acknowledge the request via email or other means of communication if you do not have an email account;
  • Remove the object from immediate public view if the request is related to a copyright concern;
  • Assess the validity of the request, consulting with Emory University’s Office of the General Counsel as needed.

We may contact you for additional information as part of our assessment. When we complete the assessment, we will determine the appropriate action in alignment with our Digital Object Retention Policy and communicate that action to you.