Learning Resources

New Creative Commons Search Tool Provides Access to 300 Million Images

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 05/02/19

A new CC Search tool allows users to find and use some 300 million images from openly licensed and public domain works. Developed by Creative Commons and a community of volunteer developers, the resource came out of beta testing this week.

The search function provides a single place to look for images from 19 collections, including Flickr (which is currently the source for the bulk of the content — some 289 million pictures), Bēhance, Geograph Britain and Ireland and DeviantArt.

While the search currently encompasses only images, the effort will eventually add other media types, such as open texts and audio, later this year. The eventual goal: to allow people to find any of the 1.4 billion Creative Commons-licensed and public domain works on the web through the search page.

Thanks to feedback provided by beta testers, the search page now provides a cleaner design and "better navigation and filters," according to Jane Park, CC's director of product and research, who leads the work for CC Search. Attribution options have been streamlined and "clear channels" have been added for providing feedback on the functionality of the site and specific image reuses.

"Under the hood," she added, search loading time and search phrase relevance have been improved, and analytics have been added "to better understand when and how the tools are used."

According to the CC Search roadmap, later this quarter the search function will sport advanced filters, the ability to browse without entering a search term, improved accessibility and a mobile user experience.

CC Search can be found on the Creative Commons website.