Hi Ronald,
As Mark mentioned, it is very appropriate. This is generally a cost recovery concern, but also helps to support non-profits such as us! We do not charge a “use fee” for decoration (not advertising), but we do charge a fee for us supplying the image, which involves scanning it and providing a high resolution digital copy, or supplying a high quality print. Your efforts and your collections have value, and the public should expect and understand that. As for what you should charge, I recommend looking at your neighbouring libraries, archives and museums to see what they charge and take an average. After this request is sorted out, make sure a clear policy and procedure is in place so you don’t have to worry about it again. If you would like to see our fee schedule and license agreement, I would be happy to send it to you. It’s not perfect and is in Canadian dollars, but it might be a place to start. Send me an email if you’re interested: archives[at]vancouvermaritimemuseum.com
Cheers,
Lea Edgar
Librarian/Archivist
Vancouver Maritime Museum
