The Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS) Archives permits and encourages personal,  educational, and scholarly use of unrestricted collection materials. Over 20,000 images are available for personal and educational use on DMNS Digital Collections. You can search our archives database here.

We do not charge use fees; rather, we ask that you cite us by including Denver Museum of Nature & Science Archives and the catalog number or file name in your source, references, or citation information.

We welcome you to use materials in our collections that are in the public domain and to make fair use of copyrighted materials as defined by copyright law. Most use situations do not require a signed licensing agreement; rather, by accepting reproductions and using our materials you understand and agree to the information found on this page.

DMNS may not own the copyright to these materials and therefore cannot provide permission to publish or distribute materials when DMNS is not the copyright holder. You are solely responsible for determining the copyright status of materials, obtaining all required permissions beyond that allowed by fair use, obtaining permission to use material from the copyright holder, and for determining whether any permissions relating to any other rights are necessary for the intended use.

We reserve the right to limit the number of copies made; to restrict the use of rare and valuable items; and to deny a request  because of copyright regulations, privacy rights, donor-imposed regulations, or other rights related issues.

The DMNS Archives does not typically charge licensing or use fees. However, reproduction fees may be enforced for larger order requests. Although materials are provided free of charge, this does not imply permission to use or transfer copyright. It is the sole responsibility of the researcher to comply with copyright laws and seek permissions where applicable.

The material cannot be edited, changed, or altered in a way that misrepresents any scientific information held therein or harms the museum.

Please cite us. Include the catalog number or file name and Denver Museum of Nature & Science Archives as the source.

The DMNS Archives will only provide permission and formally license material when DMNS is the clear copyright holder of the material. In these cases, an agreement will only be produced when: the material requires a signed agreement due to Museum or donor-imposed use conditions; the use is entirely commercial and large in scope/distribution; the patron requires a formal agreement for publication; or at the discretion of the Digital Archivist or Vice President of Science. To request licensing authorization, fill out the Licensing Request Form here.

The DMNS collections are obtained from many sources and are intended primarily for research and educational purposes.  Certain works may be protected by copyright, trademark, or related interests not governed by the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.  Permission for use will be granted only to the extent of the Museum’s ownership of the rights relating to your request.  The responsibility for ascertaining whether any additional rights exist, and for obtaining all necessary permissions, remains with the researcher.  For further information on copyrights and permission please refer to these resources:

U.S. Copyright Office: https://www.copyright.gov/

How to Investigate the Copyright Status of a Work: https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ22.pdf

U.S. Copyright Office Public Catalog: https://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=First