Document Handling

• Access to Materials: Most special collections materials are kept in closed stacks and will be retrieved for you. Library staff will help you properly request the retrieval of materials.
• Policies Regarding Handling Materials: Be aware of special handling restrictions for using special collections materials. The documents you are examining may be very fragile, and repositories have particular rules governing the use of these materials. Don't be suprised if you are asked to:
  • lock up any bags or coats you may have brought
  • use pencil instead of pen
  • wear cotton gloves, particularly when working with photographs
  • work with a small quanity of documentation at a time
• Library staff: The staff of the Library or Archives are there to ensure the materials you are working with are not damaged and ask that you not trace over documents, lean on them, take notes on them, rearrange them, or damage them in any other way.

Duplication

• Photocopying: Photocopying may or may not be possible. Always check with the staff to determine what the rules and charges are.
• Scanning: Many repositories can provide scanning of documents upon request for a small charge. Some repositories will allow the use of digital cameras and personal scanners. Check with staff to determine the policy on the use of this equipment in the reading room.

Other issues

• Handwriting: 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. If you need help reading old handwriting see the guides at the Maryland State Archives and the National Archives of the United Kingdom.