Smithsonian Open Access

Smithsonian Open Access is an initiative that provides free access to over 5.1 million digital items from the Smithsonian's collections, including 2D and 3D images, data, research materials, and more from its 19 museums, research centers, libraries, archives, and the National Zoo. Users can download, share, and reuse these materials without asking for permission.

The materials are released under a CC0 (Creative Commons Zero) designation, which means they are free of copyright restrictions. Users can use, modify, and share the content for any purpose - personal, educational, or commercial - without needing permission from the Smithsonian.

The content includes high-resolution images of artifacts, paintings, sculptures, historical documents, specimens, scientific datasets, 3D models, sound recordings, research data, and digitized exhibits. The collections span multiple disciplines including art, history, science, culture, and technology.

No, not all items are part of the Open Access program. Some assets may be restricted for various reasons, including: items that haven't been digitized yet, assets that are sold or licensed for a fee (like Folkways albums), or items with existing copyright restrictions.

You can use the materials for art and creative projects, education, scholarly research, digital media projects, publications, merchandising, and more - all without charge or restrictions. The content can be downloaded, shared, modified, and redistributed freely for any purpose.

Yes, the Smithsonian provides public APIs hosted on api.data.gov that allow developers to access open access metadata. Developers can register for an API key to integrate the collections into their applications and create new digital experiences.