Archives & Special Collections will provide scans of materials in our collections in support of research and scholarship. Generally, material will be copied if the department determines it will not damage the original documents or violate U.S. copyright law, HIPAA, or other relevant statutes.
- Bound materials cannot be scanned. Inquire with department for possible alternatives.
- Orders may be submitted in-person or remotely.
- All orders are processed in order of receipt—usually within two weeks, depending on the size of the order.
- All reproduction orders must be prepaid; we accept cash (on-site only), checks (drawn on US banks only), and credit card. Internal users may pay by providing chart string information. See below for details.
Archives & Special Collections reserves the right to add an additional fee for unusually large or difficult scanning requests, and typically cannot fulfill orders of over 200 reference-quality scans.
Photographic Reproductions: We no longer have the capacity to provide actual photographic prints to researchers. Digital reproductions can be done in-house and will usually be less expensive and have a faster turn-around time.
Digital Reproductions:
New fee schedule, effective for orders arriving as of Dec 1, 2025
| Scan quality | Columbia/NYPH faculty and students* | Non-Columbia |
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*Does not include Weill-Cornell students or faculty
Delivery will be made via email, or a computer file sharing system Box. Patrons who request delivery on storage devices sent via US mail should expect additional charges.
Turn-around time is 5 to 10 work days, depending on size and complexity of the order and the department's workload. Expedited orders are possible for an additional fee to be negotiated.
NO WORK IS BEGUN UNTIL PAYMENT IS RECEIVED.
Publication Policy & Fees
To arrange for the publication of materials held by Archives & Special Collections, a request-to-publish letter or email must be sent to the Head of the department. It must contain the following:
- Information about the forthcoming publication, including format - print, audio-visual or electronic/digital - title, expected date of publication, and name of author
- Name and contact information of publisher
- Information about the item(s) to be published, including name of author or creator, name of collection, date of creation, and item numbers, where available.
The letter will be acknowledged by Archives & Special Collections with a copy of the department's Permission to Publish form which must be completed and returned with (if applicable) the permission fee. If Columbia University does not hold the rights, users may have to negotiate copyright permissions separately with the copyright holder.
All items published must be identified as being from: "[Name of collection]. [Collection number]. Archives and Special Collections, Columbia University Health Sciences Library."
The following fees are for non-University users and are charged in instances in which Columbia University is a copyright holder. All permission is for non-exclusive, world-wide rights for a single edition in a single format and a single language for five years. Fees for reuse, or for use in other editions or media, must be negotiated separately and in writing. Non-profit entities should be prepared to show proof of non-profit status. Reduced fees may be negotiated in cases of extensive use of Archives and Special Collections materials.
All fees are per image. Payment must be received in advance of publication.
Still Images
| Books and Periodicals | |
|---|---|
| Dissertations & Theses | $0 |
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Academic & Non-Profit (501c3) Presses:
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$25 |
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Commercial:
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$50 |
| Advertising Brochures, Promotional Materials, Dust Jackets, Album Covers | |
|---|---|
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Academic & Non-Profit (501c3) Presses:
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$50 |
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Commercial:
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$100 $250 |
| Electronic Publications | |
|---|---|
| Same as for print publications, including additional fees for use on cover or packaging |
| Online | |
|---|---|
| Dissertations & Theses | $0 |
| Academic & Non-Profit (501c3) | $25 per image |
| Personal Use | $50 per image |
| All other | $100 per image |
| Exhibitions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1 year | Permanent Exhibit | |
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$0 $100 |
$50 $150 |
| Use in brochure or publicity material: | ||
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$50 $30 |
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| Use in catalog or poster: | ||
| Same as fee schedule for books and periodicals |
| Television, Cable, Satellite Broadcast | |
|---|---|
| Local | $100 |
| National | $125 |
| Worldwide | $200 |
| Feature Films, Videos | |
|---|---|
| Commercial Film | $150 |
| Educational/Non-theatrical | $50 |
Moving Images
$250 per image, per minute, per medium. After one (1) minute, time is pro-rated in 15 second intervals at $67.50 per quarter minute. Minimum payment $250.
Arrangements for filming within individual libraries must be made in advance and may involve a fee to cover staff time.
Onsite Commercial Filming
Interviews, photos, and film shoots at the Medical Center are overseen by CUIMC Communications. For more information or to submit a request, see the CUIMC Office of Communications policies.
Waivers
Publication fees for images or excerpts are waived for current Columbia University faculty and students. If a whole or nearly whole work is to be published or if more than 40 illustrations are required, a royalty arrangement should be negotiated
Method of Payment
Invoices will be sent with the Permission to Publish form. The following methods of payment may be used:
- Checks drawn on American banks or on branches on foreign banks located in the United States and payable in U.S. dollars to Columbia University Libraries.
- Credit cards
- For internal billing, please provide the following chart string information: Dept. Name, Dept. Number, PC Bus Unit, Project, Activity, Initiative, Segment, Account number, Dept. Contact and email.