Archives Rules and Procedures

The objects housed in these collections are noncirculating materials. Some of them are in fragile condition and to a great extent irreplaceable; therefore certain precautions are necessary.

No food or beverages are permitted in any area of the Archives.
Hands should be clean for the handling of materials. Please avoid applying creams or lotions to your hands immediately before handling materials as the oils can transfer and cause considerable damage. Please make use of the rest rooms near the Archives to wash your hands. Wear clean cotton gloves supplied by the archives staff when handling photographs.
Use only pencils, computers, or other digital devices when taking notes (no ink).
Do not lay paper or cards on an object when writing notes. This practice leaves an impression that will shorten the life of the material.
Do not lay books open face down, or employ harmful bookmarks such as pencils, rulers, other books, etc. Broken spines and torn pages can result from such treatment.
If paper slips must be used as bookmarks, please take extra care to remove all of them before returning the material. If left inside, they put a strain on the spine and can eventually cause discoloration of the paper.
Use both hands to support a photograph or other paper artifact; place on a stiff board when transferring from one surface to another; and do not bend such artifacts.
Do not drag photographs across a surface; do not pull one photograph out from a stack so that it scrapes against the others; leave in protective mylar, if any.
Do not rearrange the order in which materials are delivered to you. No marks may be added to or erased from any material.
While material from these collections is in your hands, it is your responsibility. Please respect it and handle it with care.
Some material is too fragile to be photocopied or requires special handling. Please take notes or photographs (without flash) rather than requesting a copy whenever possible; consult the archives staff if you want photocopies or scans.
The Archives reserve the right to inspect all research material and all personal articles before a patron leaves the area.
Use of materials may be restricted because of poor physical condition, personal privacy or legitimate proprietary rights, confidentiality issues, or unprocessed state.