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Rules of Thumb for Using Archival and Manuscript Materials
Contact the repository you wish to visit in advance to obtain information about the collection you wish to use and to alert the curators that you are planning a visit. You should also be certain to determine the repository's open hours, since many archives or special collections have shorter hours than normal university or public libraries. This is especially recommended if you will be traveling a long distance. Hours change, staff may be on vacation, collections may be closed for a variety of reasons, or you may be able to obtain the finding aid for a collection via e-mail or snail mail, so being prepared in advance can save you time and frustration.
Seek the guidance of archivists and curators. These individuals often know their collections inside and out and can provide you with lots of useful clues to make your project go more smoothly.
Be prepared to present photo identification when you register with the repository as a researcher for the first time. Archives or special collections facilities routinely require this.
Follow the directions for requesting the retrieval of special collections materials carefully. These records are generally kept in closed stacks; you cannot pull them off the shelf yourself. You will be asked to complete request forms, and the staff will pull the documents for you. A correctly completed request slip speeds the process considerably.
Be aware of special handling restrictions for using primary source materials. In many cases, the documents you are examining may be very fragile, and repositories have particular rules governing the use of these materials. You may be asked to use pencil instead of pen and to don white, cotton gloves, particularly when working with photographs. You will also only be allowed to review a relatively small quantity of documentation at a time, generally a single box or folder. You cannot trace over documents, lean on them, take notes on them, rearrange them, or damage them in any other way. Primary source materials are unique and require very special handling.
If you are working with older documents, be prepared to deal with the challenges of other people's handwriting. More recent documents (1900 to the present) are generally typewritten, but the farther back in time you travel in your research, the more likely it is that you will be faced with the task of deciphering someone else's scrawl.
Collections in archival and manuscript repositories do not circulate; they cannot be checked out and taken home with you. Be prepared to spend research time on site, then make duplicates of individual documents, if possible, to take home with you.
Photocopying may or may not be possible. Always check with the staff in the archives or special collection to determine what the rules and charges are. Some materials may be too fragile to copy, so be prepared to take notes.
