When I researched this for my museum, there were limited options.  Our museum was mentioned in an article but had not contacted us for images. Instead, the author paid a lot of money to purchase photos from a big database--but the photos had been taken by an amateur photographer, and were of exhibits that had long since been dismantled.  At the time, I was told that we could post signs limiting photography by visitors without permission--but it would be hard to enforce without a guard in each exhibit area, and there was no way to apply that rule to photographs already taken.  

The alternative was to have some good professional photos taken and make them available freely upon request.  I recommended that a few photographs be placed on our website with a requested credit line as to the source, and that copies be given to me (I was the museum's archivist) so I could e-mail them out when such requests went to me rather than to the main office.  The administration was having financial problems at the time, so this was never done.  Still think it is a good way to make sure your museum is not being represented in current publications by truly horrible photography--or by images of things that are no longer on display. 

I always feel that if you don't have the money or power to enforce control over your collection, the best thing to do is make a limited selection freely available.  At least you won't be ignored because you are too expensive for people to purchase images.  And, perhaps, posting a good image of part of the museum might incline people to purchase images from you for other parts of the museum rather than trying to take them themselves.

Erin Foley
Portage, Wisconsin


----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Candace Perry 
  To: [log in to unmask] 
  Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2012 10:14 AM
  Subject: [MUSEUM-L] question regarding use of images taken with personal cameras


  Frequently images of my institutions are used in publications great and small that have been taken with the author's personal camera. Recently a publication has come out where this occurred, and the images were terrible.  Does anyone have language in their permission to publish/image use policies that governs this?  I know the logical answer is that the institution must provide all images, but this is just not always possible and/or efficient. I try to work with individuals when I can and not seem too heavy handed - we are small and strive to be accessible, but we also want to ensure that collections are illustrated appropriately.

  Thanks,

  Candace Perry



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