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Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscape Survey Collection

Rights and Restrictions Information

Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., 20540-4730


Material in these collections is generally considered to be in the public domain.

Access: Permitted, subject to P&P's policy on serving originals. This policy requires that copies of the drawings are served in lieu of the full-size originals. Field records are served by appointment only.

Reproduction (photocopying, hand-held camera copying, photoduplication and other forms of copying allowed by "fair use"): Permitted.

Publication and other forms of distribution: The original measured drawings and most of the photographs and data pages in HABS/HAER/HALS were created for the U.S. Government and are considered to be in the public domain. However, occasionally material from a historical society or other source is included in the photographs or data pages. These materials are noted by the presence of a line crediting the original source, and it may be necessary to receive permission from the owner of such material before it can be published. In all cases the courtesy of an acknowledgment is requested if material is used in a publication. Privacy and publicity rights may also apply.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, HABS [or HAER or HALS], Reproduction number [e.g., "HABS ILL, 16-CHIG, 33-2 "]

Suggested citation information: The Prints & Photographs Division occasionally gets questions about how to formulate a scholarly citation for HABS/HAER/HALS materials. Although the format may vary depending on the style manual being used, offered below is basic identification information for the various types of materials in the collection.

Information found in data pages:
Hall, Susan C., "Antietam National Battlefield, Observation Tower." Written Historical and Descriptive Data, Historic American Buildings Survey, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 2009, page ##.  From Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (HABS No. MD-934-A; //lcweb2.loc.gov/master/pnp/habshaer/md/md1800/md1892/data/md1892data.pdf accessed January 7, 2015).

A photograph:
Lowe, Jet, "View of mill ruins looking E. - Laurel Valley Sugar Plantation, Sugar Mill, 2 miles South of Thibodaux on State Route 308, Thibodaux, Lafourche Parish, LA." Photograph, Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1979. From Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (HAER LA,29-THIB,1A—3; http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.la0195/photos.072550p accessed January 7, 2015).

A measured drawing:
PGAdesign, "2006 Existing Conditions Plan, Dwight Way to Haste Street - Piedmont Way & the Berkeley Property Tract, East of College Avenue between Dwight Way & U.C. Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, Alameda County, CA." Measured drawing, Historic American Landscapes Survey, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 2006. From Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (HALS CA-2 (sheet 2 of 5); http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/hhh.ca3441/sheet.00002a accessed January 7, 2015).

An entire survey (group of documentation for a site):
“Beebe Windmill, Hildreath Lane & Ocean Avenue (moved several times), Bridgehampton, Suffolk County, NY.” Survey (photographs, measured drawings, written historical and descriptive data), Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1977. From Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (HAER NY,52-BRIG,4-; //www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ny1231/ accessed January 7, 2015).

For more information, please read: Copyright and Other Restrictions: ... Sources for Information


Prepared by: Prints and Photographs Division staff. Last revised: January 30, 2015.


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  March 25, 2022
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