Where to find images for school

Need images for a school project? The best option would be to take your own pictures or create your own images to use for a school project, but when that isn't practical, here are some alternatives.

Not all images are free for use, and even if they are, digital citizenship requires you ask for permission before using. Instead of using Google Images to find a picture, head over to the ES library catalog for ethical alternatives so that you can demonstrate the CAC core values of integrity and respect.

Students in grades 2 and up will be learning how to find images for for which they have permission to use and how to cite the sources of those images. 

Here are a few places to start your search for images. 

Britannica Image Quest

This subscription database offers millions of high quality available for students to include in their work. Britannica Image Quest offers images from many reputable sources, including government archives, famous museums and stock photography collections.

Britannica Image Quest is a subscription database, which means that we pay a fee on behalf of our CAC community, and that log in credentials are required. Students in grades 2 to 5 receive a card from the library through their classrooms with all usernames and passwords for all of our databases, but CAC patrons can also use the Quick Login. (All ES students know the Quick Login. Ask your child or stop by the ES library to request it.)

Wikimedia Commons

This site from the Wikipedia family offers 36 million images uploaded by users. Each image is available for download in different sizes and permission details are included on the page. There's even a monthly challenge for photographers.

The search interface is not as elementary school friendly as some other sites, but it is a good option for our older students.

Creative Commons Search

Creative Commons licenses are  sets of permissions for work of all types. By invoking a Creative Commons license, creators of content let people know what type of credit they would like for their work. Here is a very easy explanation of the main four types of licenses. I've also link to this explanatory cartoon on the Visual Tab.

The Creative Commons Search link on the Visual Tab will take you a site where you can search for different types of media: images, videos, and sound files.

Photos for Class

My new favorite, Photos for Class,  offers copyright friendly images that include the proper attribution right on the image once you download it.