Imaging & Publication

A small number of items from our collections have been professionally digitised, and the resulting images are available on the Digital Bodleian website to view and download.

Ordering Images

To request digital images of Special Collections material not available from Digital Bodleian, complete the Application for Photographic and Digital Reproductions. You will then be advised of options and any charges.

We can supply images for private study and for publication, but before you can publish any images of material from our collections you must request and receive permission from the College; see below for instructions on how to apply for permission.

We may not be able to supply the images you request: it depends on the type and condition of the item, the extent of the request, and what images, if any, we already have. We do not have in-house facilities for large-scale photography of fragile material, so the images we can provide may be limited to snapshots taken by staff of short sections of an item.

Permission to Publish

Permission to publish images of items in Merton’s collections must be requested by completing the Publication Permission form. This includes images from the Digital Bodleian website and photos you have taken yourself. Permission requests made directly via email cannot be accepted. Please note that ‘publication’ refers to publication in any media, including websites. General conditions relating to publication permissions are listed on the form. All requests must be approved by the Governing Body of the college which meets three times per term and you are advised to make such requests well in advance of publication deadlines.