Have you ever been in the middle of creating
new promotional material for your library and realize that you’ve been
using the same clip art pictures since 1998? If you’re looking for some new
options, check out the links below for some new choices and a great
selection!
Dreamstime: Offers both free stock photos and royalty-free
photos to purchase. All you have to do is sign up for an account!
Free Pixels: Free stock photos are available after you sign
up for a free account.
Creative Commons: Provides access to search services of
other websites. It’s important to note that the search results may not
necessarily be under a creative commons license.
Kozzi: Free stock photos. All you have to do is sign up!
Imagebase: This site is contains stock photos that are free
to use and come in two different size formats.
Geek Philosopher: This site offers free stock photos as well
as background graphics and screen wallpaper – with no registration! They just
ask you reference the site when you use their photos.
Unprofound: This site is neat because it groups photos by
colour rather than category. One doesn’t have to register but there is a pretty
good search function.
It’s always important to check the copyright information of
each image. For the most part, artists are more concerned about the fact that
their work will be used for commercial purposes (without their approval and compensation). Many who allow their work to
be part of the free stock image sites listed above have agreed to some form of
copyright agreement such as creative commons or otherwise. When in doubt,
however, always contact the copyright holder to make sure the use of their work
is acceptable.
