SPECIAL COLLECTIONS: PRIVILEGES AND RULES

The Special Collections are research materials gathered and preserved for educational and scholarly use. Our rules are necessary to preserve the materials and guarantee their orderly administration. Generally, these items and collections are available to members of the ASU community and other researchers who are at least eighteen years of age. Patrons must complete a registration form and present current photographic identification in order to use the collections. Because some of the materials are fragile, their use may be restricted.

Policies:

1. The Special Collections and Archives stacks are closed to the public. A request form should be presented to the staff member at the reading room desk. The materials will be retrieved for use.



2. Identification must be presented when submitting the request form. If this is the first request of the academic year, a registration form must be completed before the materials will be retrieved.



3. Materials may only be used in the reading room. They do not circulate.



4. You may take to a desk in the reading room only note-taking materials, pencils, or a laptop computer. Coats, briefcases, and other materials (including cell phones) must be placed in the storage locker available in the reading room. Cameras and scanners are prohibited unless the Archivist has approved their use in advance.



5. Only pencils may be used while working with our materials. Pens are not allowed.



6. All materials must be handled with care:
   • Do not lean on materials.
   • Archival materials must be kept in the precise order provided.
   • Do not make tracings of the materials.


7. Generally, only five books or one box (folder) will be provided at a time. Faculty or graduate students engaged in extended research projects may be permitted access to larger quantities of material. Patrons may be provided with digital or microformat surrogates in order to help preserve fragile original materials.



8. Photocopying is available when the condition of the material, copyright restrictions, and donor restrictions permit. Normally, the Special Collections staff does the copying of archival materials and rare books. Requests submitted within thirty minutes of closing will be filled the following workday. Large orders will be processed as time permits. Permission to copy or scan does not carry with it permission to publish.



9. Permission to publish must be obtained in writing from the Archivist or the Dean of Library and Information Resources.



10. Tobacco, food, and beverages are not permitted in the reading room.