Fees and Policy

The Searls Library has a collection of 19th and 20th Century photographs of primarily Nevada County subjects. It is estimated that the collection is nearing 10,000 individual photographs. Although Searls does not sell it's original photos, they do make copies for personal and publication uses.

The following photos are only a sample of those available from Searls. The topics in the collection include portraits of residents, mines and mining operations, everyday life, celebrations, logging, towns, villages, recreation, churches, buildings, businesses, industry, transportation, and the changing landscape.

The fee for a personal use copy of a Searls photograph, scanned and printed on an ink-jet printer is $10.00 plus shipping and handling. Photographic reprints are available. These require the staff to take the negative, if we have one, to the photographer and have the print made. Costs vary depending on the size of the print needed. If we do not have a negative, the photographer can make an inter-negative and that cost is added to the order. We charge $5.00 service charge for such orders. All fees must be paid in advance.

Those interested in publishing or otherwise commercial use of Searls photos should contact Searls directly for a copy of the Society's order form.

For personal or commercial photo users, it is recommended that they come to the Searls to review the available photos of their chosen subjects and place their orders. Searls Library is located at 214 Church Street, Nevada City. The hours are Monday-Saturday from 1-4 P.M. The library is closed on holidays.

Policy:

Any reproduction of NCHS documents and photographs is at the discretion of the museum/library archivist, curator, or director.
No original photograph, negative, slide, or document may be removed from any museum/library without prior authorization of the museum’s director.
Any photographic copy (digital, photographic print, photocopy (Xerox), inkjet, etc.) requires a signed "Photographic Services Request" form. Digital copies will be made to NCHS supplied media only. (No user supplied CD’s, floppies, jump drives, external drives, etc.)
Copies sold for personal use are not authorized for reproduction in print or electronic media. Copies sold for commercial publication are on a one-time basis with credit given to the NCHS library/museum. Example: "Photo supplied by Searles Historical Library",
Prices include applicable sales tax.

Photocopy of existing print $1.00
Inkjet print on plain paper $ 5.00
Inkjet on photo paper $10.00

Photographic reprints are done by an outside vendor. Prices will include the actual cost of prints (including any internegatives required) plus $5.00 per order. The NCHS will retain all internegatives. A deposit of estimated cost will be required before work is done.

Inkjet print on photo paper $20.00
Photo scanned to CD at 600 DPI in "TIF" format $20.00 + $5.00 per CD

Persons requesting images by email for online display must fill out and send a Photographic Services Request form by U.S. Mail. The requested image will be emailed upon receipt of the completed request form and payment. Format of the image will be 640x480 at 72 DPI jpeg (suitable only for online viewing--not print).

Consideration will be given to proposals for the use of large quantities of material. Interested parties should submit a written proposal to Nevada County Historical Society, P.O. Box 1300, Nevada City, CA 95959

Non-profit organizations, students doing historical research, and candidates preparing a non-published thesis will be charged ½ the personal use fee.

Publication of material must be properly credited as applicable: Courtesy: "Searls Historical Library, NCHS" or "Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad & Transportation Museum, NCHS" Credit lines should appear near the image or in a special credits section of the publication.