Join the University Libraries as we celebrate the public domain from March 10 onward! This year, iconic works by Frida Kahlo, the Marx Brothers, Virginia Woolf, and Ernest Hemingway are now available for everyone to use without copyright restrictions.
The public domain is vital for creativity. It allows anyone to access, share, and build upon existing works. In the U.S., anything published 95 years ago enters the public domain. So, works published in 1929—like “A Room of One’s Own,” “A Farewell to Arms,” and “The Sound and the Fury”—are now free to explore and adapt. Government publications are also always in the public domain.
According to Teresa Schultz, a librarian here, “Artists often draw inspiration from others’ works to create something new.” At the University, researchers utilize public domain materials to spark new ideas. For example, sociologist Jared Bok has incorporated public domain data into his studies, which has also inspired his graduate students.
Bok mentions, “Using public domain works can help scholars like me avoid reinventing the wheel,” making research more efficient.
Similarly, Erin Edgington, chair of World Languages, shares how public domain resources aid her research on 19th century French-Canadian literature, which is mainly out of print today. She said, “I’m fortunate to rely on public domain materials for most of my research.”
Here are a few recent projects by our faculty that benefited from public domain works:
- College Coasters: Remixing Public Domain Art – March 11 at 10 a.m. and March 14 at 2 p.m. at the DeLaMare Science and Engineering Library. Create coasters while learning how to adapt public domain art.
- Wikimedia Edit-a-Thon – March 13 at 3 p.m. in MIKC 114 (Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center). Help upload public domain images to Wikimedia. Participants should create a free Wikimedia account in advance.
- Public Domain Movie Scenes – All week starting March 10 in the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center Library atrium. Enjoy scenes from classic movies now in the public domain, including beloved Mickey Mouse shorts.
For more details about events and the public domain, visit the Libraries’ Public Domain Celebration page or reach out to Teresa Schultz.
About the University Libraries: We support learning, teaching, and research by encouraging new ideas and making knowledge accessible. Each year, our four libraries welcome over 1.2 million visitors, with more than 80,000 items checked out and over two million database searches performed.
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