What is the Alaska Photo Library?

This digital photo library is derived from the original Alaska Division of Tourism Slide Library located on the ninth floor of the Alaska State Office Building, Juneau, Alaska and was produced in 2000 by the Department of Community and Business Development. The images were edited from a collection of approximately 8,000 to meet the perceived need of researchers to the site.

These slides were acquired at random over a period of 20 years from various sources. The collection does not represent an ideal, complete or uniform presentation of Alaskan subject matter, i.e., places, wildlife, activities, cultures. We are not a stock photography service and we do not deliver royalty free images. The library exists primarily to promote tourism and commerce for the State of Alaska by providing illustrations for communications. It is also an excellent resource for students and researchers.

The state has purchased or otherwise acquired usage rights to the photos in the collection and have added value to them by scanning each image into three resolutions of digital files, captioning them, locating them geographically and informing researchers of the copyrights. By respecting the usage guidelines, a researcher will avoid any potential legal problems associated with this site.

What are the intended uses of the Library’s photographs?

1. Publications, presentations, promotions and programs of the State of Alaska and local Alaskan governments
2. Editorial use by newspapers and magazines to illustrate articles about Alaska
3. Promotions for small, local, Alaskan-owned, tourism-based businesses
4. Research, education and critique

Please note that each image has a licensing agreement attached to it.

May I use these photos in my project?

Yes, in most cases. All photos in this library may be used for research, education, and critique purposes. This is commonly referred to as "Fair Use." No photos may be used for commercially sold products, for political purposes or to depict Alaska in a negative light.

Clicking on a thumbnail of the image will bring up a larger version of the image with captioning and licensing information.

May I use photographs of people in my projects?

Yes, in most cases. Once permission is granted to use an image from this library, please understand that the State of Alaska does not have permission from most subjects to use their photographs. However, it is generally considered acceptable to use a photo for editorial purposes without the permission of the subject person. Editorial use is considered the interior of books, magazines and newspapers. If you should

use a photograph depicting a person in an advertisement or endorsement, you will be using it at your own risk and may be responsible for compensation or damages.

What if I’m not allowed to use a photo I need for my project?

Researchers have several options when they encounter restrictive licensing on our site:

1. Leave the image out of your project
2. Substitute another image from our library with the desired rights
3. Request usage rights from the photographer through the Photographers Directory
4. Request other images from the photographer with the desired rights through the Photographers Directory
5. Request similar images from other photographers in the Photographers Directory
6. Search for similar images from Other Sources of Alaska Images

PO Box 110800, Juneau, Alaska 99811-0800     Phone: (907) 465-2500  Fax: (907) 465-2858