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Creating Curated Collections for Search

Guide and best practices for creating and managing Collection Discovery collections for Search.

Get Images

There are a plethora of websites with freely available images published under Creative Commons licenses. Many images will need some manipulation to ensure they are (<500KB or <100KB).  Here are a few to get you started:

  • Bing Public Domain Image Search
    There is now a copyright license filter built into the Bing Image search that allows you to filter images by Creative Commons License or Public Domain. The images are free to use according to the terms of each license. This new feature incorporates Flickr and many other image sources.
  • Flickr Creative Commons

    Flickr's Creative Commons portal. Browse by license type or choose "Advanced Search" to limit to Creative Commons content.

  • Free Images
    Free stock images
  • Kaboompics
    Free stock photos and color schemes
  • Pixabay
    Free images and videos
  • Pexels
  • UAlbany photos
  • Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online

    Images from the Library of Congress, now in the public domain.

  • Wikimedia Commons

    Historical and contemporary images contributed by participants. Millions of high-resolution images of art, architecture, design, people, historical events, diagrams, maps, and more.

  • World Images

    Primarily historical images organized into 18 categories, including Women, Science, Cities, Natural World, Science, and more.

  • Unsplash

    Free high-resolution stock photos contributed by a community of members. No attribution needed, though is appreciated.

  • DPLA
    Many images that are have no copyright restrictions in the United States. Look for this icon: The organization that has made the Item available believes that the Item is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Item may not be in the Public Domain under the laws of other countries. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information.

  • The Noun Project

    Database of icons that can be used for free with attribution.

  • Smithsonian on Flickr

    Showcases photos from different collections in its museums, archives, and research centers.

  • Met Museum
    More than 406,000 images of artworks from The Met collection to use, share, and remix—without restriction. Filter collection results to "Open Access" 

Get Help

Online Guides and Videos

Submit a Ticket

If you've reviewed the guides and documentation, but still have questions or need help, please submit a LibHelp Ticket.

Please be sure you:

  • Include Collection Discovery in the Subject Line
  • Select Problems Accessing a Resource