Guidelines for UFLib Website Photos: Home

• The new Libraries website theme, Apollo 2, relies heavily on photos to convey meaning and to engage visitors.
• As you create and seek out photos, keep in mind they will often take up considerable real estate on a visitor's screen. You will want to include bold but also simple images that will project a specific message, without being so busy they overwhelm any textual content.
• Other sites using this theme have featured images with students and researchers. In the Libraries we may also want to highlight "behind the scenes" images of work processes, collections, and public spaces.

UF Options

Libraries Communications: Photos and videos selected and made available specifically for web use by the Libraries' Communications team. Many of these are available in the WordPress media library as you edit your site.

UF Photography: A collection of images provided by UF Communications. These are free to use and high quality, though Libraries-specific images are somewhat limited.

UF Digital Collections: Digitized special collections might be appropriate for some content, especially for topical features or event announcements. But you might be able to capture an image better suited to the website by photographing the object within a Libraries space; if in doubt contact UF Communications. 

Other Free Stock Photography

Unsplash: Thousands of free-to-use, high-quality photos. Great option when you need a generic or abstract image.

Inclusive stock photos: A list of sites devoted to increasing representation of marginalized communities within stock photography. Review the usage guidelines; some are made available under a Creative Commons license while others require no attribution.

How to Use Images from the Media Library

We have access to official UF photography within Wordpress, with a specific facet for 'Libraries'.

• You can access these photos by Add block > Common block > Image > Media Library >Select ‘UF Photos’ tab. The Libraries facet is available on the right hand side, under 'All UF Health Galleries'.
• These (and all) photos are also available when you add a ‘Featured Image’ per page.


When choosing photos keep the following guidelines in mind

Bigger is better! 

• Design as if every photo will be a large "hero" homepage image. You can always scale down from there.

• Photos and images need to be a minimum of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

• Wordpress resizes for different screens, so you need to design for large screens knowing everything will be reduced for mobile.

​Not sure how big your image is? You can check (Windows).

• Go to the image you want to check in the folder

• Left-click on the image

• Choose "Properties"

• Open "Details" tab

• Dimensions are listed there

Other tips

• Use horizontal (landscape) photos/images whenever possible

• Save photos as JPEG 

• Save logos, line art, and icons as PNG

• Keep in mind photo framing and design. This is especially important for the homepage hero image, which uses text and color overlays. Other blocks may crop images into a square.

Screen readers and search engines rely on alternative text to describe images on a page, and alt text is crucial to ensure accessibility of the Libraries' website. This is especially important for images meant to convey information or context.

The Media Library in WordPress provides an easy way to insert alt text for each image. This is distinct from the title, though search engines also refer to this.

Where to credit

• The image block in the Apollo 2 theme includes space underneath the image where you can enter "Photo by X".
• It may be difficult to include credits immediately next to some images. For instance, the homepage "hero" image does not allow this. If it is necessary to include a credit based on the guidance below, you may do so on your unit's "about" page.

Crediting UF-created images

• In general, it is acceptable to feature photos and other images created by UF Photography and Libraries Communications without a specific image credit. This is especially true of generic images of spaces and activities in the Libraries or on campus. The Libraries' Communications unit site will include a general statement indicating that many images came from these sources.
• If you can identify the individual photographer and want to include a brief credit ("Photo by X"), feel free to do so.

Crediting other images

• Any images that were not created by UF Photography or the Libraries must include a photo credit.
• Free stock photography: It is critical to include an attribution statement for images made available under a Creative Commons license. This is a legal requirement! The CC site includes detailed guidance on this. Even for stock image sites that do no require attribution (such as Unsplash), you should include "Photo by X" with an embedded link to the image source URL.
• Digital special collections: At a minimum, include the name of the institutional host (e.g. University of Florida Special and Area Studies Collections) with an embedded link to the image source URL. You may wish to include a more complete citation of the item.

• Created by UF: In general, you can use images created by the Libraries or by UF Photography without fear of copyright infringement.
• Smathers collections: In many cases UF does not own the copyright to materials in our collections. However, in cases where you are supporting copyright-protected images through analysis and context, fair use may apply. Refer to the ARL Code of Best Practices in Fair Use (especially pgs. 15-17) for more guidance.
• Stock photography: Free stock photography is usually protected by copyright but released under licenses that allow for certain kinds of reuse. Licenses will typically allow for noncommercial purposes and may require attribution. Wherever you locate an image, it's important to read the fine print found on a "terms of use," "usage guidelines," or "about" page.

Privacy concerns are most likely to come up when you are taking photos or video:

At public events: Double-check that presenters are comfortable having their talks photographed/recorded. Crowd photos are generally acceptable, but when feasible (e.g. at a conference) try to give attendees a way to "opt out" by their choice of lanyard or a sticker on their nametag. This can be a pain, but the small number of people who really do not wish to be photographed will appreciate it!

In the Libraries: In most cases it is acceptable to take photos in the Libraries as long as you use common sense (e.g. not bothering a student intently studying). But if you plan to share photos of students on the website or social media, you should quickly ask the student if that's okay. Permissions are most important for students in the foreground of an image. You may wish to blur faces in the background as appropriate in case of privacy concerns, but avoid making other substantive changes to the photograph.