The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) is a platform for sharing unique resources amongst the nation's libraries. Most of these resources come from the Special Collections of the contributing institutions, meaning they are unpublished, one-of-a-kind, primary source materials (wondering what primary source is?).
University of Utah participates in DPLA via its membership in Mountain West Digital Library, along with other Utah institutions like Brigham Young University, Weber State University, Utah State Historical Society, Utah State Library, Utah State University, Utah Valley University, and Southern Utah University.
You are welcome to use any and all of these resources, but DO pay attention to the RIGHTS information listed underneath each resource. The rights information will tell you WHAT you can do with the resource.
DPLA also offers a free ebook platform via its Palace Project. Learn more here.
As you search, please note items in DPLA may still be under copyright. It is your responsibility to obtain the appropriate permissions to use items, although if you are a student the Fair Use Doctrine may cover use of items for research and educational purposes.
If you are looking for Permission-Free Resources, click HERE.
Many other contributing institutions create their own rights statements. If you have questions about using an item, contact the contributing institution directly; there is a link to the item in the owning institution's collection underneath each item in the URL section.
Rights information for resources in DPLA can be determined in one of two ways: item rights statements or the How Can I Use It? rights limit.
Item rights statements
When you view an item in DPLA, rights information can be found in the item's description in the field labeled Rights or Standardized Rights Statement. Those items using a standardized rights statements or licensing will also display a graphic beneath the image preview.
Rights Limit
DPLA also offers a search refinement option called How Can I Use It? . This limit uses the standardized rights and licensing statements offered by contributors to group items into similar categories for reuse. You'll see this limit at the upper left when you view your search results:
Mountain West Digital Library (MWDL) is a service hub for DPLA. A service hub is a state or regional digital portal that collects and makes available digital resources from a variety of organizations including museums, archives, and other libraries.
Mountain West Digital Library, which is administered by Marriott Library and has its offices on the 5th floor of Marriott, makes available items from many institutions in Utah, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, and Hawaii.
Visit MWDL's Subject Guide to learn more.
University of Utah Indigenous Land Acknowledgement
The University of Utah has both historical and contemporary relationships with Indigenous peoples. Given that the Salt Lake Valley has always been a gathering place for Indigenous peoples, we acknowledge that this land, which is named for the Ute Tribe, is the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Shoshone, Paiute, Goshute, and Ute Tribes and is a crossroad for Indigenous peoples. The University of Utah recognizes the enduring relationships between many Indigenous peoples and their traditional homelands. We are grateful for the territory upon which we gather today; we respect Utah’s Indigenous peoples, the original stewards of this land; and we value the sovereign relationships that exist between tribal governments, state governments, and the federal government. Today, approximately 60,000 American Indian and Alaska Native peoples live in Utah. As a state institution, the University of Utah is committed to serving Native communities throughout Utah in partnership with Native Nations and our Urban Indian communities through research, education, and community outreach activities.
