Copyright and re-use

Before you copy or re-use an item found on Trove, it is important to check the item's copyright status. No matter what your purpose or intent is, copying or re-using an item might infringe the moral rights of those who created it. You can find further information on copyright here.

Check out Related Pages for more information.


You will find the copyright status of an item in the Trove record and for some items, in the Trove viewer.

Note: This information is for items with records in Trove, and items that are viewed on Trove. Items that are accessed through external sites and other organisations will have their own system of displaying copyright status.

In a Trove record

The copyright status of an item is located beneath the row of action buttons, towards the right hand side of the screen:

Copyright status location on Trove record

In a Trove viewer

If available, the copyright status of an item can be viewed by selecting    from the sidebar on the left hand side of the screen. Note: This option may not be available for some Trove items.

In a Trove audio player

In addition to the Trove record, copyright information for an item that is accessed with the Trove audio player is in the End User Licence Agreement that appears before access is granted.


Search items by Rights status

Use Advanced Search in the Homepage or search results list to filter your results by Rights. You can find the Rights option by scrolling down the boxed filter options.


Observe Rights Statements

Many of the collections you find in Trove will still be in copyright or have special conditions that restrict its usage. For these collections, there are 12 standardised rights statements that are used for cultural heritage works. These statements are useful for understanding what you can and can't do with a collection item.

Getting permission

Trove cannot grant special permission to use copyrighted items, only the copyright holder can do this.

Trove brings together records describing items from collections in many different libraries and other institutions. Please contact the institution that holds the item to confirm the item's terms of re-use and copyright status.

The National Library of Australia is sometimes able to grant permission to use copyrighted items, in instances where the item is held by the National Library. In these cases, you need to declare your intention to publish the copyrighted material. More information on doing this can be found on the Library's website: How do I declare my intention to publish?


If the duration of copyright has passed, the content is considered to be out of copyright and it is free to use. However proper citation and attribution should be applied when using any content. You have a responsibility to ensure that your copying or re-use of an item does not infringe moral rights. This includes citing the item to provide proper attribution.