Mike, don't feel bad if you can't figure out a way to make our photo archives viewable without being copyable, it's not possible with the current internet standards. If you find a way to do it, find some venture capitalists and get rich!

Here's more info than any sane person can possibly want: http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html

I remember reading on either the ALA or one of the GOV sites that any work published before 1923 is public domain, period. Everything else 'depends' but probably any works published before 1949 like corporate reports and stuff are probably fair game as well because it is unlikely that the companies spent the money to renew the copyright a second time.

ALA.org (American Library Association) has a fair amount of stuff on what constitutes fair use for libraries.

Jim Eckman