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Copyright and your research

Copyright and your research

Items in our collections are protected by copyright under Canada’s Copyright Act. You can make copies for research and private study, but you need to get permission before you publish them for a public audience.

Black and white photo of a man in a radio studio room sitting at a desk with a radio and scattered papers reading into a microphone bearing the letters “CBC” on its sides.

Copies for research and private study

You can make or request digital or print copies of items in our collection for research and private study if copyright is held by the Crown.

If the copyright is held by another person, copying is permitted only if authorized by:

the Copyright Act for the purpose of fair dealing or under specific exceptions set out in that Act, or
the copyright owner

You are responsible to understand the Copyright Act and how it may apply to your research. The Archives does not provide legal advice.

Some donors require that you ask permission before copying their records for personal use. This will be noted in the Terms for Use and Reproduction section of a record description. Contact us to find out about getting permission from a private record donor.

Before making your own digital copies of records, you need to sign and submit a self-serve digital copying agreement to a reference archivist. Get a copy of the agreement in person in the Reading Room at a reference desk.

Visit our Reading Room page to learn more about what to do and not do when researching records in person.

Request permission from the copyright holder

You are responsible for getting permission to publish, exhibit or broadcast copies of items in our collections under copyright. This includes their use in:

books, articles or newspapers, online or print
social media posts
film, radio, television or online videos
advertising
galleries, exhibitions or museums
presentations to large public audiences

Check the Terms for Use and Reproduction section of the description for the item, file or series to learn if it is under Crown or private copyright.

For items under Crown copyright

Provide the following information for each item you want to use:

item title
date(s) of creation
reference code
physical format of item
your name and contact information
intentions for publication, exhibition or broadcast

For items under private copyright

We may be able to offer information from our donation files. In many cases, it is difficult to determine who holds the copyright. Regardless, your use is at your sole risk. The Archives is not liable for any inaccuracy or incompleteness in information supplied.

Citing archival records

Citing archival items in your work is important because:

it helps you keep track of items you have used
it allows others to find the item
it makes your publication more credible

There are many citation styles. Regardless, a citation should include:

a description of the item including the date if known
series title (government records) or fonds and series title (private records)
file-level reference code (including box number if found in person)
repository (Archives of Ontario)

Here are examples of citations for a photograph and document from our collections:

Black and white photo of a mustachioed man in a horizontal striped top standing behind a bicycle looking directly into the camera.

Colour photo of a short, messily handwritten letter dated June 4, 1940, torn at the bottom.

Terms and conditions

You agree that you will not use materials from the Archives’ collections in a manner that would infringe the rights of others. Nor will you distort, mutilate or otherwise modify or use the copyrighted work(s) in any way that will prejudice the honour or reputation or in any way violate the moral rights of the creator or author of the work(s). Any liability that may arise in the use of a copy of Archival material is assumed in full by you. The Archives accepts no responsibility for unauthorized use of collection material by its clients.
The copyright owner, whether the Archives, a corporation or an individual should always be properly acknowledged if the material is used for anything other than research or private study. It is the sole responsibility of all researchers to ensure they have appropriate copyright clearance for any materials to be published.
You are solely responsible for any infringement of copyright in the use of reproductions or self-serve copies of archival materials, whether photos or digital exports created from microfilm. The Archives of Ontario will not be held responsible for any copyright infringement.
In no event shall the Archives of Ontario or His Majesty the King in right of Ontario or any of their Ministers, employees or agents be liable for any liabilities, losses, costs, damages and expenses arising from or directly or indirectly related to your use of, or your inability to use, the archival materials or any part or service of it.
Reproductions made by researchers do not represent an official version or a copy made with the endorsement of the Archives of Ontario. Reproductions will not be represented as a true copy of the original material unless certified as such by the Archivist of Ontario.
Any access to archival materials that may be provided by the Archives of Ontario under these terms and conditions is for the purpose of research and private study only. The Archives makes no representations or warranties, either express or implied, of any kind with respect to archival materials and does not vouch for or warrant the availability, accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any archival materials. The Archives of Ontario is not responsible for the content of any archival materials. Any reliance on the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of archival materials will be at your own risk.
The Archives of Ontario reserves the right to update these terms and conditions at any time. Users will be notified of updates on the Archives of Ontario website. Users who do not agree to updated terms and conditions may have their card revoked at the sole discretion of the Archives of Ontario.