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Image adapted from sketch by Montserrat de Pablo.

Library
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Image adapted from sketch by Montserrat de Pablo.

Head of Library

Esther Chen

library@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de

Library Services

  • Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

    Complementing our own collections the Library is networked to the holdings of other libraries. This Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service enables the rapid delivery of documents and provides books and articles (and DVDs, CDs, musical scores, microfiches, microfilms, etc.) from a wide network of research libraries within days of a request. This network includes special usage conditions, e.g., lending privileges for older books that otherwise would not be for loan.

    Please check the Library Catalogue, then use the Interlibrary Loan Form if the item you need is not in the catalogue or is unavailable. If your request is urgent, you may mention this in the form.

    Please remember that neither the Institute’s books nor Interlibrary Loan books may be taken out of the Institute. We kindly ask you not to use sticky notes in the books we have borrowed for you.

    For further information about Interlibrary Loans, please see the Interlibrary Loans page.

     

  • Request a New Acquisition by the Library

    You can suggest an item for our library's collections by completing the Recommendation for Acquisitions Form. For related enquiries please email the library.

  • Add a Publication to the Institute's Bibliography (PuRe)

    The Institute’s Bibliography (PuRe) lists all publications authored or edited by our researchers and guests in connection with their research at the Institute (except preprints).

    As well as being necessary for the Institute's biannual Research Reports, you will need to have your publications entered into PuRe in order for them to appear on your scholar profile on the website. To add your publications to PuRe, contact the Editorial Assistant in your Department/Research Group:

    For general enquiries about the Institutes Bibliography please email the PuRe Bibliography team.

  • Assistance with Image Copyright & Permissions Requests

    Where Can I Find Copyright-Free Images to Use?

    Unless an image is in the public domain (i.e. unprotected by copyright), written permission must be sought from the copyright holders for its re-use in publications or on websites, and the original source correctly acknowledged in your work.

    Images that meet the following criteria can be used without the need for copyright clearance:

    • Images from the public domain: copyright is free (e.g. CC-0 or CC-BY), including those from the below-mentioned repositories.
    • Images whose author has been deceased  for 70 years or longer (with expired copyrights).
    • Your own personal photos/images.

    The Google search function for “public domain” images provides many images that can be used without the need for copyright clearance (labeled CC-0 or CC-BY).
     

    Many online image repositories offer images that can be used without the need for copyright clearance, for example:

    We are happy to add your recommendations to this list. 

    Lists of other image repositories are available on the library’s database page.

     

    How Do I Obtain Image Copyrights?

    Responsibility for acquiring image rights lies with researchers. We recommend that you contact the copyright holders well in advance (at least 4–6 weeks), and even earlier for international copyright holders. Copyright must be confirmed before any image can be used online.
    In addition, please ensure that you have the necessary caption and source information when you send us the image. If necessary, screenshot the corresponding pages to document the public domain. For research publications the fair use clause or right of citation applies, but not for Feature Stories or online use.

    The MPIWG library (Urte Brauckmann) may be able to offer assistance in particularly difficult or costly cases.

     

    How Do I Digitize An Image?

    The Digigroup of the Institute’s library can help with requests for the professional digitization of images and texts. For further information please contact Ralf Hinrichsen.

     

    What about Image Quality?

    • When ordering images and publication permissions, consider whether the image should be used only online, or if it will it also be printed, e.g., as postcards, Feature Stories, posters etc.
    • Ideally, provide your image as 300 dpi quality. You can find out the dpi of your image by going to Tools > Adjust Size > Resolution: pixels/inch.

  • Advice on Publishing & Open Access

    The Max Planck Society fosters Open Access and strives to bring research results openly on the Internet. Here you can find information on open access publishing, copyright issues, and on the transfer of rights to publishers. The library offers advice on Open Access and publishing contracts,  and provides copyright clearance service for the publications of our scholars. Find out more on the Open Access information page, which also includes an Open Access FAQs list.

  • Assistance with Digitization

    The library offers digitization of sources for your research and publication projects, helping with image processing if required. Please contact Ralf Hinrichsen for further information and assistance.

    The library also supports the digitization of audio and video documents. For this please contact Hartmut Kern.

  • Assistance with Bibliographies

    The library offers advice on managing your bibliography as well as support for transferring existing bibliographies into new bibliographic management systems, such as Zotero, EndNote, etc. Please see the Bibliography Management page for further information on what we offer.