Permissions and Copyright – Frequently Asked Questions

Disclaimer

These guidelines are intended as a general introduction to some relevant aspects of copyright, and are not an authoritative interpretation of the law. Users of National Library of Ireland collections are reminded that it is their responsibility to comply with copyright law when using the Library.

What is a copyright exemption?: The Copyright and Related Rights Act, 2000 also illustrates the circumstances that are exempt from copyright restrictions placed on a work. These circumstances are called ‘Fair Dealing’ and include the copying of a work for the purpose of research and private study, for the purpose of criticism or review, and for reporting current events.
Is there a limit on the amount I can copy?: The amount of a work (apart from journal articles) which may be copied under the Fair Dealing provisions is not specified in the 2000 Act. However a number of conditions apply: only a ‘reasonable proportion’ of a work can be copied; and the same copy cannot be supplied to more than three people at the same time and for the same purpose. In the case of periodicals, as many articles from a volume can be copied as there are issues in the volume, or 10% of the volume, whichever is greater.
How will I find out which images you have in your collections?: The National Library has digitised over 35,000 images from its photographic collections, including topographical views of locations around Ireland, studio portraits, and images of political events. You can find these on our Main Catalogue. You can also use the Main Catalogue, the Sources Database and the Newspaper Database to locate other items in our collections, including books, newspapers, magazines, manuscripts, maps, prints, drawings and photographs.
Who should I contact to get a digital copy of an item in the NLI collection?: Contact Copying Services with the details of the item by emailing: copy-orders@nli.ie, or tel: +353 1 6030 214.
Who can I contact for more information?: Contact Glenn Dunne, email: permissions@nli.ie, or tel: +353 1 6030 331.