VCU Libraries: Inside The Collection

Public Domain Day 2025

January 1st is Public Domain Day in the United States. This year copyrighted works from 1929 become free for all to copy, share, and expand upon.

Why is the public domain so significant? According to Duke University’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain, the public domain 1) benefits the arts by allowing artists to use past works to make new ones, 2) makes education more affordable by allowing educators to assign works available for free online, 3) keeps the government accessible and accountable to its citizens as all federal government works are automatically public domain, and 4) supports libraries, archives, museums, and those who use them to make more works available to the public.

Here at VCU Libraries, the public domain is a vital part of how we get materials to the VCU community: When something is in the public domain, there are fewer restrictions on how we can share materials physically and digitally with the public. With materials in copyright, more labor on the part of library workers goes into seeking out information about the copyright holder and placing an accurate copyright statement on the material. Sometimes, materials are not digitized and broadly shared with the public because of concerns about potential copyright violations. As more works enter into the public domain, we are able to get more of them directly to the public.

Copyright is an important form of protection that gives artists and scholars exclusive rights over their works, helping them make a living off of their intellectual property. However, many public domain advocates believe that copyright terms in the U.S. have become too long. The current terms rarely benefit individual copyright holders—according to the Center for the Study of Public Domain, “studies have found that only 2% of works between 55 and 75 years old continue to retain commercial value.” So why are materials being kept out of the public domain for so long?

Last year was a significant year for Public Domain Day, as it marked the first time a Disney entity entered the public domain—something the Disney corporation has lobbied against, successfully extending copyright terms to 95 years. However, Jennifer Jenkins at Duke notes that companies like Disney have also benefited from materials already in the public domain, with many of their stories being built upon the works of authors like Lewis Carroll, The Brothers Grimm, Victor Hugo, Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Anderson, and Carlo Collodi. 

Copyright and the public domain are both necessary for a thriving intellectual property ecosystem that feeds artistic and academic work. Here at VCU Libraries, digital collections are a mix of public domain materials, materials still in copyright where copyright is held by VCU or VCUL has been given permission to share materials, and materials shared under fair use. Determining an item’s copyright status can be a challenging task, but resources like Cornell University’s chart on copyright terms and the public domain help us understand when permission is needed. Ultimately, making archival and cultural heritage materials widely accessible relies on an understanding of how to present intellectual property ethically and transparently when permission is needed.

Public Domain Day began as an informal observance in the early 2000s, but our understanding of its importance has grown over the years. Recognizing how valuable freely available cultural heritage is for scholarship, preservation, creativity and enjoyment makes this a day for all of us to celebrate. Here at VCU Libraries, you can view and use many public domain materials in our Digital Collections, just check each collection’s landing page for a copyright statement! Collections in the public domain include:

• Architectural and Interior Design Catalogs
• City of Richmond Atlases and Maps
• Newlyweds and Their Baby
• Richmond Commission of Architectural Review Slide Collection
• Selected Images from the Cook Photograph Collection

Have questions about public domain and copyright? Contact Scholarly Communications Librarian Katharine Miller at [email protected]. 

Categories Digital collections, Publishing, Special Collections and Archives