VRC images, films, references, equipment, and services are available to all UCI faculty, students, and staff.

All users of the physical collection must complete a VRC registration form, which may be presented upon first visit or e-mailed to Katharina Petersen.

Since slides and films are physical objects ideally kept in circulation for many to use, it is requested that items be checked out for the shortest amount of time possible, preferably the duration of a class period, with a 24–hour maximum for slides and 2–days for films (link to Film Loan Policy). Materials can be set aside longer using the reserve system. Please consult with the curatorial staff for any exceptions or off–campus use.

Digital image resources are available to the entire campus community 24/7 (see Images link). A UCI user net ID and password and/or the use of proxy or VPN is required (more info at http://www.lib.uci.edu/services/how/connect.html).

All patrons are encouraged to participate in building the shared image collections. Image can be procured from commercial vendors, museums, and galleries or created in–house from books, journals, exhibition catalogs, and other flat media using copy stand photography or scanners. A few weeks lead time is ideal, but quicker turnaround is possible depending upon the workflow queue. Photographic services are only provided if the images requested contribute to the growth of the shared archive and are made accessible to the entire UCI community. Patrons may use Visual Study Lab equipment themselves for rush work. The Image Works in Biological Sciences provides digital services on a fee basis, see http://imageworks.bio.uci.edu/.

Patrons are advised to first use digital images that are readily accessible expressly for educational purposes in the VRC slide collection, the UCI Digital Image Archive, in the UCI Libraries licensed resources (http://www.lib.uci.edu/online/subject/subpage.php?subject=images&anchor=#uci_visual_r ), and in the University of California’s shared image services (http://www.cdlib.org/inside/projects/image/#Collections), before requesting digitization or to ask for curatorial assistance. The purchase or licensing of digital images from vendors and non-profit providers must be considered in order to make a good faith effort at determining commercial availability.

In order to comply with the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code), all images in the VRC—analog or digital—are archived and provided for teaching, learning, and research purposes only. The fair use doctrine and clear educational uses are what past and present practices are based upon. Copying, distribution, use on unrestricted Web sites or in print publications, including scholarly publications, are not permitted. The person using this material is liable for any infringement. For more information about copyright considerations, see http://www.humanities.uci.edu/humanitech/copyright/copyright.html and http://www.imageservice.cdlib.org/terms_of_use.html.

It is the patron′s responsibility to:

• return materials in a timely manner
• return recalled materials immediately
• exercise care when handling archival materials and equipment
• pay for repair or replacement for negligent damage
• abide by the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, US Code)