CAS OPERATIONS
Services Model
Communications
A friendly, practical guide for social media creators
(Because we want your posts to stay up, and platforms will remove copyrighted content.)
Why this matters for social media
When we post on social media, we are publishing publicly on behalf of our organization. That means we need to be extra careful about two things:
- Copyright: We never want to post an image we do not have the rights to use. (More resources can be found via UD Library’s Copyright Resource Guide)
- Accessibility: We never want to post content that is hard to read or not accessible, like an image of a flier or a text-heavy graphic that is not designed for screen readers.
Our goal is simple: every post should be both legally safe and accessible.
UD General Council Policy - Use of Digital and Multimedia
Our golden rule
If you did not take the photo yourself and it is not from an approved source, pause and check. When in doubt, always consult CAS Communications via our CAS Communications Project Request form.
The safe image hierarchy
- UD photo galleries (MediaValet) reach out through CAS Communications Project Request form.
- If photos were taken by University of Delaware photographers, CAS Communications can create MediaValet photo galleries and share them with you. This is often the easiest, fastest, and cleanest option for UD-related content.
- If you have a deadline, include it and share what kind of images you need.
- Your own high-quality photos (with signed waivers or appropriate consent)
- If you took the photo (or someone on our team took it) and we have permission to use it (signed waivers), you are good.
- Choose clear, well-lit photos that look good on mobile
- Avoid blurry, dark or heavily pixelated images
- If people are featured prominently, make sure it is an appropriate photo to share publicly
- Good examples of units using their own photos:
- Dept. of Fashion & Apparel Studies: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQWzYzdjS_N/
- Associate in Arts Program: https://www.instagram.com/p/DKSTZsNT9cL/
- Dance Major (Dept. of Theatre & Dance): https://www.instagram.com/p/DSJlkwijKrS/
- To publish photos on UD channels, we need to confirm the right permissions are in place. What we need depends on who took the photo and where it was taken.
- If you (or another UD employee) took a photo of a student or a group of students, we need a signed model release from each identifiable person. It is fine to tell us, “Model releases are on file,” as long as they are signed and available if needed.
- If the student supplies the image, we need written consent from the student (an email is perfect) confirming they understand UD will publish the image for digital marketing purposes.
- If the photo was taken at a UD event, signed model releases are not required if event disclaimers were posted notifying attendees they may appear in UD photos and videos.
- Open-license search tools (Openverse, Creative Commons Search Portal)
- Use trusted search tools like Openverse or the Creative Commons Search Portal to find openly licensed or public-domain images. Openverse is often the smoothest option because it is built specifically for this purpose and helps with attribution.
- Verify the license on the original source page
- Save credit info when required
- Google Images only when filtered and verified
- Google can be used as a backup option, but only if you filter by usage rights and then verify the license on the original source page. The filter helps, but it is not a guarantee.
- What to do:
- Google.com, click Images
- Search for what you need
- Click Tools
- Choose Usage rights or Licenses
- Select Creative Commons licenses
- Click an image, then click Visit
- Confirm the license on the original source page (If you cannot find clear license information, do not use the image)
The “please don’t” list
These are not automatically okay just because they are easy to find:
- Google Images results without license verification
- Pinterest images
- Screenshots from movies or TV
- Random “found on the internet” graphics
- Photos copied from someone else’s social post
- Canva is convenient, but not the best choice for UD-branded, accessible graphics. Check with CAS Communications first.
Creative Commons: the basics you need to know
If you use Creative Commons images, do these three things every time:
- Confirm the license on the original source page
- If the license is not clearly shown, do not use the image.
- Avoid these license types for most organization content
- Non-Commercial (NC): Not for organization or brand promotional use
- No Derivatives (ND): No edits, and cropping, adding text, or design overlays can count as edits
- Save the credit info
- Creator name
- License type (example: CC BY 4.0)
- Source link
Credit template (copy and paste)
Photo: Creator Name, License, Source link
Example posts with proper image credits
Example 1: Art History
Reference post - https://www.instagram.com/p/DTdM-iMj2sN/
- The credit is easy to find and clearly identifies the photographer, creator or source.
Example 2: CAS
Reference post - https://www.instagram.com/p/DRAH_i0j8jW/
- The credit is written in plain language and fits the tone of the post.
Accessibility note: Avoid posting an image of a flyer
On social media, images that are mostly text (like flyers or posters) are often hard to read on mobile and are not accessible for many users.
Instead of posting a flyer image:
- Post a clear photo that supports the message (people, place, event moment)
- Put key details in the post text (what, when, where, registration link - use LinkTree for Instagram)
- If you use an approved, UD-branded graphic, keep text minimal, large, and high contrast
- Always add thoughtful alt text that describes what the image shows
If you are not sure whether something is accessible, ask CAS Communications.
The quick “when in doubt” decision
If you are unsure about an image’s rights or licensing, do not post it yet. Ping CAS Communications using the CAS Communications Project Request form and we will help you find a safe alternative.