When conducting research at the CFA office, please note:
- Records may be reviewed by appointment only during regular business hours, except on the meeting days of the Old Georgetown Board and Commission of Fine Arts, when the CFA office is closed to researchers.
- Hours of operation are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays.
- Make an appointment by email at cfastaff@cfa.gov or call (202) 504-2200; due to limited staff resources, we cannot accommodate walk-ins.
- No food or drink is permitted in the research area.
- Cell phones must be turned off in the research area.
- CFA staff work in close proximity to the research area. Please be considerate and keep conversations to a minimum and at low volume.
- Photocopiers are available for researcher use; however, they are a shared resource, so please be respectful of staff need.
Rights and Permissions for Reproducing Documents
The Commission of Fine Arts offers broad public access to its resources—including photographs, drawings, and official government documents—as a contribution to education, scholarship, and public information. The submission of documents to this agency for review constitutes permission for CFA to use the documents for purposes related to the activities of the Commission, including display, reproduction, publication, or distribution.
Generally, materials produced by federal agencies are in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions when publishing or distributing other materials found in the Commission's collections. Researchers may also consult the Fair Use Doctrine (17 U.S.C. sec. 107) to determine whether the intended usage of materials obtained from the Commission is within its scope.
Copying Costs
Payment for copying is required upon receipt of copies. We accept cash and checks, but do not accept payment by credit card.
Letter, B&W $0.50
Legal, B&W $0.75
11x17, B&W $1.00
Letter, color $0.75
Legal, color $1.00
11x17, color $1.50
The CFA office does not have the equipment or resources to reproduce items larger than 11x17 inches (such as architectural drawings). If necessary, staff can arrange to have large format material reproduced by a third-party vendor, with the researcher assuming the cost.
Scanning and Electronic Reproduction Costs
Scans and electronic versions of images and documents in the CFA collections are also available. The cost of scanned material is $0.50 per scan. Materials that already exist in electronic format may be provided without charge. If electronic items are delivered on a CD, there is a $5.00 charge for the CD media. We will accept an empty writable CD in lieu of the $5.00 charge. As with photocopies, we accept cash and checks, but do not accept payment by credit card.