Massachusetts Historical Society

Reproduction Services

The MHS offers four options for obtaining reproductions of our holdings:

The staff will not reproduce materials or grant use permission in violation of copyright or donor restrictions. The MHS will not reproduce original items that are too fragile to be safely reproduced. For low-resolution (PDF) requests, in cases where material is available in another format (microform, facsimile, etc.) reproductions are created from the alternative format material, not the original items.

In addition to the fee for service options outlined above, researchers visiting the library may create - free of charge - both non-flash photographs of materials viewed in our reading room (see What to Bring) and PDF files of collections available on microfilm.

Statement on Copyright

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies 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 request for, or later uses, a photocopy or 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.

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