Guides: Find Images: Start Here

What are images?

An image is a picture that is recorded or created and stored physically or digitally.
Digital images have various formats (.jpeg, .png, .gif, .bmp, .tiff, to name a few).

As a multimedia format, an image can provide support for your arguments.
As well, in the case of presentations, an image can encourage other’s interest in your research.

Consider using one of the search tools listed below
Visit the websites of relevant art galleries and museums, which often also have searchable online collections
Search using a variety of keywords, including synonyms and related terms (e.g. dog, hound, terrier, animal, animals)

ARTstor
Thousands of images related to art, art history, and classics.
Subject Timeframe: All Eras
Colourbox
Contains millions of professional images available for educational use in academic papers, projects, and presentations.
Dates of Coverage: 2003 - Current

Creative Commons
Search by commercial, educational, or private use. Some images, audio and video files are licensed to be altered to new works.
Flickr Creative Commons
Search for images. Make sure to check what license they are providing.
Wikimedia Commons
Includes still images, videos and sounds.
A-Z Databases: Images
A longer list of University of Guelph databases that can be searched for images.

When you are looking at free online collections of images, check for the following information: Copyright Information, License Statement, Terms and Conditions, Permissions.
- Some sites give permission for their images to be used for educational purposes, while others require that you contact the image owner for permission.
Creative Commons gives people many options to determine what type of permission they want to provide. Check the license for details about how you can use the image.
Don’t forget to cite your image (see guide linked below)

Cite Your Sources
by Library WebTeam Last Updated Sep 5, 2024 1867 views this year