Trying to move away from purely American public domain sources, Europeana provides research on European digital culture. In the collections funded by the European Union, one could find almost any type of media imaginable. Whether one is looking for manuscripts, artwork, consumer culture, or even the history of industrialization, Europeana provides directly curated collections. Not only does the website serve as a vast repository of public domain images, but it also provides essential media tools from key data sources. When researching media for my previous research projects, Europeana provided me with essential information and media on Queen Victoria from some of the most prestigious institutions.
Category Archives: Public Domain Sources
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress’s free and reuse page creates an easy environment for scholarly research, including resources such as images, manuscripts, musical scores, films, and millions of other digital artifacts. Not only are the vast resources accessible, but they are either in the public domain or have been approved by the copyrighters for public use. This means that one can use the website without worrying about breaking copyright law. The Library of Congress website is also broken into research-grouped collections that provide the researcher with an extremely approachable means of conducting research. When searching for my research for my dissertation, I was able to find over forty thousand items to use.
Prelinger Archives
In the Prelinger Archives, one can find a vast resource of films whether they be pertaining to advertising, educational, or even amateur films. Having more than thirty thousand items in their collection, one could find almost anything they want. If one is interested in historical war films or film examples from other countries. The collection dates all the way back to 1903 and has films that are from the present as well. Beyond the historical value of the Prelinger Archive, the preservation of culture is also present and can be shared freely in the public domain. Historians, educators, and researchers alike can use the many valuable resources.
NASA on The Commons
On this section of the website, Flickr, NASA on The Commons provides the public with many different media forms pertaining to the history of NASA. These images, videos, and films are offered free of use to the public for educational and news publication purposes. With various images ranging from the very beginning of space exploration to the present, this site seeks to inform everyone about the intricacies and complexity of space exploration. Beyond collections of each varying space mission, other collections include important subjects such as Women in Space and the multiple research centers that fueled NASA throughout the decades. They even have collections of photos of missions to Mars.