Frequently asked questions about the VRC:

Where do the images in the Collection come from?

The VRC acquires images from original photography (by faculty, staff, and students in the College), from commercial purchases (from image vendors like Archivision and Saskia), from books and periodicals ("copywork" images), and from donations of images. See Collection Policies, Requesting images on this website for more information.

Is the VRC part of the UW library?

The VRC is a College facility and the Collection receives its funding from the Dean's Office. The images in the Collection reflect the curriculum of all four departments in the College.

What is the standard size of the digital images in the Collection?

The digital images that may be downloaded from the VRC's digital image database are 72 ppi images, 3000 pixels on the long side for original images and 2000 pixels on the long side for copywork images. The images average about 1500 KB and 800 KB respectively. These images print at a size that is useful for a student paper, but not a publication. (These images should be re-sized at about 1200 pixels on the long side for optimum use in a PowerPoint presentation.)

What about copyright?

All of the images in the collection may be used for educational purposes only. Copywork images (from books and periodicals) are created under the Fair Use criteria for published images. See Collection Policies, Copyright on this website for more information. Section 107 of the US Copyright Act deals with the doctrine of Fair Use.