CENTRO Library & ArchiveS Policies

Library & Archives Access Policy

CENTRO Library & Archives is open to the general public. We are located on the First Floor of the Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work Building (2180 Third Avenue at 119th Street in El Barrio). Users wishing to enter the CENTRO Library & Archives must bring a photo ID and check-in at the Visitor’s Center. CUNY staff and students should use their CUNY identification when visiting our facility.  The CENTRO Library & Archives collection is non-circulating; however, limited loans of audiovisual holdings are available to educators. 

Permission to Publish & Copyright

CENTRO Library & Archives welcomes you to use materials in our collections that are in the public domain. You do not need CENTRO’s permission, as physical holder of the collection material, to publish anything that is in the public domain in the United States. Additionally, you may make fair use of copyrighted materials as defined by copyright law. We cannot determine for you whether or not fair use applies to your intended use. 

Please cite us:

[Collection Name]. Archives of the Puerto Rican Diaspora, Center for Puerto Rican Studies, Hunter College, CUNY.

For permission to publish from collection material for which CENTRO does hold copyright, you will be required to sign a permissions document and the following terms and conditions apply:

  • For commercial publication or distribution of facsimile reproductions of collection items, we will supply permission and charge a use fee. This includes any publication for which the author receives a payment or royalty. The fee may be waived for non-commercial publication, including dissertations submitted for a degree at an academic institution.
  • For a non-commercial publication, you must supply a statement as to the non-commercial nature of your intended use.
  • All approved uses of collection material must include a credit line, the exact form of which will be specified on notice of approval.
  • Permission granted by CENTRO is non-exclusive and does not remove the author’s or publisher’s responsibility to guard against infringement of rights that may be held by others.
  • Fees for permission to publish collection material for which CENTRO is the copyright holder are separate from fees charged for supplying digital facsimiles of the same material.
  • Please note that while the CENTRO Library & Archives owns the materials in our collections, we usually do not own the copyright to these materials, except where it has been explicitly transferred to CENTRO. You are solely responsible for determining the copyright status of materials and obtaining permission to use material from the copyright holder. CENTRO cannot provide permission to publish or distribute materials when CENTRO is not the copyright holder.

Written permission from the copyright holders and/or other rights holders is required for publication, distribution, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use. To request permissions from CENTRO, please submit a reproductions request form. CENTRO will not do research concerning the existence and/or whereabouts of rights holders. To the extent that we provide available information, CENTRO does not warranty the accuracy of such information and shall not be responsible for any inaccurate information. CENTRO will not execute requests for permission, but may be able to connect the rights holders and patrons in certain circumstances.

The Society of American Archivists provides further guidance about using copyrighted and unpublished materials. The U.S. Copyright Office provides information about How to Investigate the Copyright Status of a Work.  When you cannot identify or locate the current copyright owner of a copyrighted work, the copyrighted material is sometimes called an “orphan work.” Columbia University Libraries and the Society of American Archivists also provide advice about documenting searches for copyright owners and using orphan works.

When you use material, you must properly acknowledge CENTRO Library & Archives as the source of the material.

We appreciate receiving a copy of any published work that features our material.

Film Lending Policy

Our policy requires that films be picked up at our facility, we do not mail out. Films from the collection may be borrowed by college professors, elementary and secondary school teachers for classroom presentations during the school year. We also lend to student clubs and community based organizations.

For individuals conducting personal research, or for students who need to view films for class assignments, we ask that they call and make an appointment for viewing the film(s) at our facilities, 212-396-7880.