The presenter will highlight noteworthy sites for finding free images--with content ranging from stock photos of diverse underrepresented populations, to museums sharing unrestricted hi-res photos of their art holdings, and many novelties in between. Attendees will learn how to read an open license to understand what forms of re-use are freely permitted. Finally the presenter and audience will discuss opportunities for how these open images can be leveraged in an online classroom to benefit both instructor and student. SESSION TAKEAWAYS: Attendees will discover new resources, be inspired with new ideas for how to use them, and build confidence in their ability to reuse content legally and ethically. Erin is the Scholarly Communications Librarian at Sam Houston State University; she supports researchers, from student to faculty, with numerous stages of the scholarly communication cycle from research data management and curation through publication and beyond.

1. Open Image Sites To Know
and
How To Use Them In Online Teaching
Erin Owens, Professor
Newton Gresham Library, SHSU
#DES22

2. NOTE: SLIDES WILL BE SHARED!
• Don’t worry about trying to write down the details
• Slides will be digitally available after this session at
https://shsulibraryguides.org/oer/slides

3. WHAT DO I MEAN BY “OPEN IMAGE SITES”?
• Websites where you can search for and download images
• Images have $0 cost for use
• Images are either:
• In the public domain: no copyright applies
• Assigned an open license: creator still owns copyright, but specific permissions for re-
use are openly stated; any use which fits the license is allowed without asking for
permission

4. IDEAS FOR USE: INSTRUCTORS
• Create Blackboard course banners for visual appeal
• Illustrate people, places, and concepts for slides, lecture notes, or assignments
• Adapt image for students to label components in quizzes or tests
• Increase diverse representation in your online teaching materials

5. IDEAS FOR USE: STUDENTS
• Use for personal reference to visualize unfamiliar people and places being studied
• Use in slides for class presentations or on posters
• Include in videos or other multimedia projects for class
• Most open-licensed images will be safe to students to include in projects posted
publicly online, as long as any requirements (e.g., attribution) are followed

6. READING AN IMAGE’S LICENSE
”Spectrum of rights” by Pirwowar, Priem, Lariviere, et al. in DOI 10.32907/RO-105-0609 is licensed CC-BY-NC-ND

7. READING AN
IMAGE’S LICENSE

8. READING AN
IMAGE’S LICENSE

9. OPEN IMAGE SITES TO KNOW: GENERAL
• Unsplash
• Pixabay
• Wikimedia Commons

10. UNSPLASH
• Everything is licensed CC0
• Mostly straightforward photographs,
including some brand marketing
images
• Strong on outdoor landscapes, both
nature and architecture
• Lots of people, signs, protest
marches, COVID (mask, quarantine,
vaccine)
• Not great for isolated symbols and
icons

11. UNSPLASH – IMAGES FOR “CHEMISTRY”

12. UNSPLASH – IMAGES FOR “LITERATURE”

13. PIXABAY
• All content can be freely reused and
modified; attribution NOT required
(some commercial resale limits apply)
• Straightforward photographs, but also
lots of graphic design and icons
• Better for posed/designed images
versus candid photographs
• Some NSFW images; be aware of Safe
Search option

14. PIXABAY – IMAGES FOR “EARTH”

15. PIXABAY – IMAGES FOR “YES”

16. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
• Licensing varies by image—verify!
• Photographs, maps, diagrams,
infographics
• Illustrations and wood cuttings
from old books; ads from old
magazines
• Recent and historical images
• International, multilingual
contributions

17. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS IMAGE EXAMPLES
“Laws concerning gender identity-expression by country or
territory” by AHC300 is licensed CC-BY-SA
“Heart diagram-en” by ZooFari is licensed CC-BY-SA

18. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS IMAGE EXAMPLES
“USC Cheerleaders perform for camera, 1915” by unknown author
is in the public domain
“St. Nicholas (serial) (1873) (14587352838)” by Internet Archive
Book Images is in the public domain

19. OPEN IMAGE SITES TO KNOW: DIVERSE PEOPLE
• BIPOC women: WOCinTech, CreateHerStock
• BIPOC people: Nappy, TONL, Office Hustle, PICNOI, Humaaans
• LGBTQIA people: Gender Spectrum, QueerInTech
• People with disabilities: Disability:IN, Disabled and Here
• People with plus-size bodies: AllGo Plus Size Stock Photos
• Note: Collection themes overlap, e.g., Disabled and Here includes disabled LGBTQIA
representation
• Licenses: Vary by collection, so verify reuse permissions carefully

20. EXAMPLE IMAGES: DIVERSE PEOPLE
Photo by Chona Kasinger on Disabled and Here is licensed CC-BY.
Photo featuring plus-size model by Michael Poley of Poley
Creative for AllGo, publisher of free stock photos featuring plus-
size people.

21. EXAMPLE IMAGES: DIVERSE PEOPLE
Customized 3-character composition is from Humaaans by Pablo Stanley
“A group of friends of varying genders dancing at a party” by Zackary Drucker
for the Gender Spectrum Collection is licensed CC-BY-NC-ND

22. CONSIDERATIONS FOR USE
• “Conversations and initiatives bringing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion
(DEI) into the learning environment continue to be a focus in higher education.” –
Heather Blicher
• “Choose to reflect a diverse world…for better representation of people, practices,
and industries.” – TGW Studio
• Using these diverse repositories when designing teaching materials can “…help
make our institutions more equitable and inclusive for all students.” – Heather
Blicher

23. CONSIDERATIONS FOR USE
• “Stock photos…do more than illustrate subject matter. They have the power to
shape perceptions of entire communities. When used critically, they can chip
away at harmful stereotypes, pushing more accurate perceptions and
understandings to the fore.” – Gender Spectrum Collection Guidelines
• “Images of trans and nonbinary people can be used to illustrate any topic, not
just stories related directly to those communities.” – Gender Spectrum Collection
Guidelines (emphasis added)

24. CONSIDERATIONS FOR USE
• “…make appropriate contextual decisions” – Gender Spectrum Collection
Guidelines
• “If your usage of one of these photos could feed into a stereotype or negative
stigma, you probably shouldn’t use it.” – Gender Spectrum Collection Guidelines
• “As with all stock photos, we ask that you use images without identifiable faces
for stories on sensitive topics such as sexual health, crime, violence, and mental
health. And of course, do not use the images in a manner that defames or casts
the subjects of a photo in a false light. ” – Gender Spectrum Collection Guidelines

25. OPEN IMAGE SITES TO KNOW: ART & ARTIFACTS
• RijksStudio from Rijksmuseum
• Paris Musees (use filter Images libres de droit to find CC0)
• British Museum
• Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Smithsonian Open Access (2D and 3D images)
• Find several more collections are listed in this SHSU Library Guide
• Licenses: Most are CC0, but some may vary, so double-check permissions

26. EXAMPLE IMAGES: ART & ARTIFACTS
"Gorilla gorilla cranium”, CC0 Le Mariage de la Vierge. Étude pour la composition de l'église
Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, CC0

27. OPEN IMAGE SITES TO KNOW: DISCIPLINARY
• NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Photo Library
• USGS (US Geological Survey) Multimedia Gallery
• Animal Science Image Gallery from the USDA National Agricultural Library and the
American Society of Animal Science
• NASA Image and Video Library
• CDC (Centers for Disease Control) Public Health Image Library
• Licenses: Government works are public domain unless otherwise noted, but verify
permissions
• Wellcome Collections: Images (licenses vary: some PD or CC0 but some restricted by
copyright)

28. EXAMPLE IMAGES: DISCIPLINARY
“A male sexual polyp of the cnidarian Hydractinia
symbiolongicarpus” by Timothy DuBuc
“Bladder cancer” by Jonathan Bailey

29. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING…
• This is not by any means a comprehensive list of open image sites!
• Looking for some other specific type of image?
• Search Google Images, but always click through to the original site and pay attention to
licensing
• Ask me or your subject librarian for advice
• Unsure about permissions on a specific image and whether your planned use is
acceptable?
• Ask me!

30. CITING OPEN IMAGES
• Public Domain or CC0 – attribution is
not required, but is encouraged for
courtesy
• Any license that includes CC-BY-… –
attribution is required
• Use TASL: Title, Author, Source,
License
• Indicate minor changes or more
significantly modified derivative works
"Creative Commons 10th Birthday
Celebration San Francisco" by tvol is
licensed under CC BY 2.0
"Creative Commons 10th Birthday
Celebration San Francisco" by tvol, used
under CC BY / Desaturated from original
This work, "90fied", is a derivative of
"Creative Commons 10th Birthday
Celebration San Francisco" by tvol, used
under CC BY. "90fied" is licensed under CC
BY by [Your name here].

31. Thank You! Questions?
Erin Owens, Professor
eowens@shsu.edu