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Vitrine Review

Reading museums through their images

Rights and Reproduction

Rights and Reproduction

Examining copyright, open access, and ethical frameworks for reproducing museum objects.

All entries

5

2026

  1. A split screen showing the same manuscript image displayed inside two different museum websites through a shared zoomable viewer

    RR-2026.10

    What is IIIF, and why do museum image collections use it?

    The technical standard that lets a museum image be zoomed, compared, and reused across unrelated websites without copying the file.

  2. A photographer pressing a round embossing seal onto a photo print on a desk, a magnifier and cotton gloves beside

    RR-2026.09

    Who owns copyright in museum images?

    Explore how copyright applies to museum object photography, from originality to contractual layers, and learn to assess rights before you publish or license.

  3. A meeting table with printed policy drafts, a laptop showing a Creative Commons license chooser, and coffee cups

    RR-2026.09

    What makes an open access image policy work?

    A practical guide for museums adopting open access policies for collection images, covering licensing, rights, and implementation.

  4. A researcher making notes from a file folder of correspondence next to a phone and a computer showing a rights database

    RR-2026.09

    How do you clear rights for museum images?

    A step-by-step guide for researchers on identifying and clearing rights for museum object photography, from provenance to permissions.

  5. A museum finance office desk with a fee schedule printout, a calculator, and a framed public domain artwork poster

    RR-2026.09

    Are reproduction fees ethically justified?

    Museums charge fees to reproduce public domain images. We examine the ethical arguments for and against, with a decision checklist for curators.